® 



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Copyright^? 



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COHRIGHT DEPOSIT 



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Copyright, August, 1919 
by Joseph Glass 



Commanuay-Roth Co., Inc. ^*(rB&^ Printers, New y 



[3] 




Gapt. Robert V. Malum. 



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The Story of 


1 


BATTERY D 

304th FIELD ARTILLERY 

SEPTEMBER 1917 

TO 

MAY 1919 

WRITTEN BY THE FOLLOWING MEN OF THE BATTERY 

Corporal JOSEPH GLASS 

BATTERY HISTORIAN ' 

Corporal HENRY L. MILLER 
Private OSMUND O'BRIEN 











[5] 






IN MEMORIAM 

THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY 

DEDICATED TO OUR GALLANT 

COMRADES WHO LOST THEIR 

LIVES IN SERVICE WITH THE 

BATTERY IN FRANCE. THE 

MEMORY OF THEIR SACRIFICE 

WILL ALWAYS BE AN 

INSPIRATION 

TO US 






THE MEMORIAL MEDAL 

: 




THIS MEDAL STRUCK IN BRONZE WAS SENT TO THE 

FAMILY OF EVERY MAN IN THE 304th F. A. WHO 

LOST HIS LIFE IN ACTION. ON THE REVERSE IS THE 

INSCRIPTION "TO COMMEMORATE THE GLORIOUS 

DEAD OF THE 304th FIELD ARTILLERY 

IN THE GREAT WAR 

FOR PEACE." 



AUG I5i9ly 



[C] 



HONOR ROLL 

THE FOLLOWING MEN OF THE BATTERY 
DIED IN FRANCE: 



Sergeant George H. Weinhauer 

Wounded in action near Chery Chartreuve, September 
3rd, 1918. I Med on way to Base Hospital, September c>. 
1918. 

Private Rudolph J. Bakkex 

Wounded in action near Pont a Lime, Argonne Forest, 
October 2, 1918. Died on way to Field Hospital same day. 

Private Axel T. Boon 

Died of disease. February 25, 1919, at Evacuation Hos- 
pital No. 11. 

Private Otto Bryant 

Killed in action near Chery Chartreuve, August 23, 1918. 

Private Edward Kalf 

Wounded in action near Chery Chartreuve, August U:S, 
1918. Died in hospital September 1, PUS. 

Private Fred C. Lincoln 

Killed in action near Vanxcere, September 10, 1918. 

Private Earl H. McDevitt 

Wounded in action near Vanxcere, September 10, PUS. 
Died in hospital September 11, PUS. 

Private Michael Pessalano 

Killed in action near Yauxcere, September 10, 1918. 

Private Antonio Yannini 

Killed in action near Cherv Chartreuve, August 23, PUS. 



m 





I'vt. Earl McDevitt. 



Prt. Fred 0. Lincoln. 




Put. Antonio Yannini 



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Pvt. Edward Kalf. 



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Jot George II. Weinht 




Pvt. Axel T. Bi 



[9] 



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Pit. Michael Pessalano. 




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Pirt. o/fo Bryant. 



[10] 



LIST OF WOUNDED 

THE FOLLOWING MEN OF THE BATTERY WERE 
WOUNDED IN ACTION: 

Corporal Clarence E. Kicker 
Private Joseph Agnelli 
Private Arthur W. Claviter 
Private Charles J. Prid 
Private John J. Hornung 
Private Olaus Johnson 
Private John Meehan 
Private John R. Parsons 
Private George Tansey 




FOREWORD 



HIS is my farewell to the men of Battery D whom I 
had the honor to command through our campaign in 
France. I know they did their best, and they do 
serve praise for the record made. 
There is a warm bond of sympathy between all men who 
shared the perils together, and only they can realize how this 
sympathy and fellowship softened the hardships, and hardened 
the nerves for any dangers that came onr way. Beyond all 
praise, and beyond the honors of military decorations, is the 
exalted spirit of the soldier who serves the flag in battle. In 
darkness and storm, and the horrors of war, it is this spirit 
that helps us to carry on. Praise for the soldier means little 
to him ; it is not necessary. He is conscious of this spirit, and 
that suffices. So nothing need be said by me of the men of 
Battery D in the way of praise. They and I fully understand 
one another. 

It was our good chance that our Battery was the first of 
our regiment to fire on the enemy at the front, and that it also 
fired the last shells in the Division on the afternoon of Novem- 
ber 10th across the Meuse. General Briggs said that our 
Battery was the first mounted organization of the American 
Army to cross the River Vesle. These facts are interesting 
even if they justify no special distinction for us. They do show, 
however, that we were ready when the orders came. 

For our dead, and the mothers and kin who still grieve for 
them, nothing can be said. They have paid and are still pay- 
ing for our Victory. I know what it means. My devoted 
mother wore out her dear heart with anxiety and suspense. 
She saw me come back safely and then passed away; as if it 
were all finished. So to these mothers and kin of our dead I 
would say that I know their hearts. 

But now the order comes "Sound Off," the band plays, and 
the world moves; and we now know that it moves forward to 
the Peace we fought for. 

ROBERT V. MAHON, 
Captain 304th F. A., 

Commanding Battery D. 



[12] 



The Story of 'Battery 1). 




Chapter I. 

CAMP UPTON. 

September, 1917, to April 22, 1918. 

BRILLIANT Saturday afternoon in the latter part of September, 

1 1)1 T. found the firsl men assigned to the :'.(l-ttli Field Artillery 

,, assembled in their new quarters, barracks J35 and J54, on 3rd 

tl^/J&el Avenue, near li'tli Street. Like so many immigrants they were 
ranged around the big barracks rooms, making themselves comfortable on their 
big bundles of new army possessions. Officers were busy among the men, look- 
ing for specialists in different lines, such as musicians for the band, prospective 
mess sergeants, mechanics and cooks. Almost immediately the crowd was 
further split into separate groups, each group to constitute the nucleus of a 
battery. Batteries 10 and F were assigned to the upper floor of J35, while 
1) Battery was installed on the lower floor, which contained the mess hall as 
well. 

The men had arrived in the camp several days previous to this, following a 
hearty send-off from New York, many demonstrations of good-will from the 
folks along the railroad route, and the entry into the sprawling, half-finished 
camp, amid the cheers and jibes of the workers and vendors of every color, 
kind and description. There had followed several feverish days taken up with 
the mustering in, medical inspections, and the issuing of clothing and equip- 
ment. Then the contingents had been split into separate groups, this group 
designated 306th Infantry, this one 305tb Machine Gun Battalion, this one 
304th Field Artillery, and each group marched off to its permanent organiza- 
tion. 

Up to this point the men had not found army existence the physically 
strenuous, disciplined life they had anticipated. Outside of considerable con- 
fusion their time had been mostly their own and work had been the exception 
lather than the rule. But this happy condition was rudely altered on the fol- 
lowing Monday morning, when there appeared on the bulletin board the new 
training schedule. Reveille at . r > A. M. ; inspection at 7; drill from 7:30 to 
11:45; afternoon drill from 1 to ."> ; retreat at 5:30. And that schedule was 
rigidly adhered to. Despite groans and growls and kicks and howls, despite 
many a vanishing waist-line and double chin, the work of making Battery I) 
physically fit went steadily on. Each day was just a round of drill and hike, 
and hike and drill, and then some one higher up conceived the brilliant idea of 
having the rookies extract the numerous stumps from the camp area. Ordin- 



[13] 



arily work of this kind would have furnished an excellent opportunity for 
rest from the strenuous drill and hike — but not with these military task- 
masters on the job. With more officers than one could keep track of, in addi- 
tion to the three regular army sergeants, standing over the men like so many 
Simon Legrees, the stumps came out thick and fast. This was before the day 
of the battery non-commissioned officer, so that many a worthy rookie who 
later would have been insulted at the suggestion of his handling a pick or 
shovel, here pitched in and did his bit, goaded into further effort by the 
beloved. Kershaw, who was here, there aud everywhere, with his choice 
regular army vocabulary. It would probably be a difficult task to locate 
Kershaw's worst enemy from among the host who would claim the honor. 
During these days Kershaw extracted the last degree of pleasure out of 
"riding" little Al Murphy, who was manfully trying to stand up under the 
strain of a rapidly receding waist-line. After several months of tumultuous 
relations with the rest of the men, Kershaw finally faded out of the life of 
Battery D. 

At this time Lieutenant MacDougall was a member of Battery D. Mac 
Dougall! The mere mention of the name was enough to start the sweat on 
any rookie. Twice around the big double field at double time was MacDougall's 
idea of a warming-up gallop, and as Louis Hyman, Charlie Krause and several 
others would come limping along in the rear after one of these performances 
they never failed to draw forth a few sarcastic remarks for their failure to 
'"carry on." Then would come the boxing bouts. Nothing less than blood and 
plenty of it, or a cold knockout would satisfy MacDougall. Next a song- 
rehearsal, usually that splendid old ballad, "When We Get Our Materiel." 
Then some more drilling and finally a quick-time hike back to the barracks 
to the cadence of MacDougall's snappy, cut short, "one, two, three, four " 
Lieutenant MacDougall's fame as an exponent of the strenuous life soon spread 
through the regiment, and in course of time, even through the division and 
beyond. 

After four weeks of this strenuous physical course, a new schedule went 
into effect. Lectures were to occupy a considerable part of the day. Lieuten- 
ant Eberstadt lectured on the materiel that the battery would use, while Lieu- 
tenant Richard gave several discourses on the care of the horse. Gun-drill 
also became part of the curriculum, and the command "cannoneers, mount!" 
"change posts !" and "rear of your pieces, fall in !" soon became familiar sounds. 

It was at this time that the night non-commissioned officers' school was 
started. The captain generally presided at these gatherings and usually 
favored the men with a very long lecture. The Drill Regulations was digested 
from cover to cover, especially those parts that bore on guard duty and mili- 
tary discipline and courtesy. In addition, special subjects were assigned to 
certain men for discussion. One very notable address was that by Sergeant 
Harry Gordon, late of the regular army, in which he initiated the men into 
the mysteries of the gas mask. As he referred to the different "mechamicals" 
in the box of the mask, and went on to warn the men against allowing "salima" 
to get into the mouthpiece, even the officers threatened to lose some of their 
reserve. Every one was impressed, and wished that Gordon might have the 
opportunity to apply his knowledge on the battlefields of France, but unhap- 



[U] 




First Platoon Overseas. 

pily, lie developed ear-trouble ;il the Inst moment, so thai he was unable to 
hear the call to France at all, as result of which the depot brigade at Camp 
Upton has had the benefit of that wisdom ever since. 

Battery I) was favored by still another regular army man, one Elgar, an 
alleged supply sergeant. Elgar hung around for about two weeks, during 
which time he furnished the comedy element for the battery, particularly as 
the butt for John Murphy's jokes. After several vain attempts to stand on 
his dignity, and to assert his authority. Elgar threw up the sponge and de- 
parted for parts where his talents would he more appreciated. 

The second contingent of I) Battery arrived in the camp on October 10th 
and was merged with the original battery about a week later. About the same 
time the battery moved to the new artillery section, just completed and occu- 
pied the entire barracks building on the northeast corner of 4th Avenue and 
13th Street. As the battery continued to grow the overflow building on the 
opposite side of l?.th Street was also taken over. 

Among the men of the second contingent was David Jones, one of Amer- 
ica's foremost vaudeville stars. Jones claimed to be in very poor health, and 
those who slept near him testified to the terrible spasms he would have each 
night, in one of which it was feared he would pass away. But Jones was an 
actor, and considering the circumstances no one knew just what to think. 
Many thought that a clew to Jones' case might be furnished by a story he 
told of one of the recruits of the :>(>7th Infantry, the colored regiment which 
was training in the camp. This recruit was seen snatching up bits of paper 
from the ground, examining them and throwing them down again with the 
exclamation, "Dat's not it! Dat's not it! Dat's not it!" After several days 
of this he was put under observation and marked for discharge. As his dis- 



[15] 




Second Platoon Oversells. 

charge papers were handed to him, he gazed at them for several moments and 
then exclaimed, "Pat's it!" Jones played at the different camp Y. M. 0. A.'s 
nightly, and gave numerous highly appreciated shows in the battery mess-hall, 
but as the season waned and the time for leaving approached, he found his way 
into the base hospital, and so passed out of the military life. 

All this was the comedy element, which played its important part as a 
diversion from the strenuous routine of preparation which went relentlessly 
on. A battery spirit and a battery organization began to develop and in this 
the non-commissioned officers played a big part. First Sergeant Oscar L. 
French was a happy contrast to the other regular army men. Full of energy 
and enthusiasm, French was behind everything that tended to the well-being 
of the men and of the battery. Other non-commissioned officers were appointed 
by the captain. Among the first appointments were Lowell, Green, Gleason, 
Koen, Munday, Pons, Manderson, and Ghelardi. It is a fact that men coming 
direct from civil life find the arbitrary military authority, even of a non- 
commissioned officer, very irksome, so it is inevitable that the popularity of 
many of the newly appointed men took a sudden drop on their being "made." 
"Barney" Lowell was one of the few exceptions to this rule, as no one could 
meet the searching gaze of Barney's honest blue eyes and retain even the trace 
of resentment. One of the very first appointments was that of Antonio Joachim 
Simas as supply sergeant. All day long Joachim would sit in solitary splen- 
dor in the little supply room, while his satellites busied themselves with the 
supply work. Acting merely as the judge, and the court of last appeal, Simas 
would meet every appeal for new equipment with the overworked army "out 
of luck." As the work of the supply department multiplied, Simas ceased to 
function properly and was removed, or resigned, and the efficient Clackner 



[16] 



took the post. As proof thai "you can't keep a good man down," however, 
Simas came back strong as a combatant member of the battery when the real 
test came. 

As the tire company of the regiment, Battery ]> had many opportunities 
to prove its speed in getting into action. Several night alarms were turned 
in, aud on these occasions the men had hardly scrambled into their clothes and 
lined up outside, before the lightning hose cart squad, in charge of Corporal 
Koen, came dashing around the corner of 13th Street, dragging the cart behind 
them. None of these night calls required the efforts of I> Battery, but on the 
occasion of the infirmary tire the battery had plenty of opportunity to show its 
mettle. The alarm was given as the men were going to mess after a hard 
morning's work. The whole infirmary building on the opposite side of 4th 
Avenue seemed to be ablaze as the men swarmed out of the barracks. Without 
hesitation, the men quickly rounded up the tire-buckets from the neighboring 
buildings and started after the blaze. Bucket lines were established and such 
excellent work was done that the blaze was effectively held in check until the 
arrival of the cam]) firemen, when the blaze was finally extinguished. Several 
of the D Battery fire-fighters were well drenched, notably Lieutenant Fher 
stadt and "Bobby" Taylor. 

Athletics, of course, played an important pari in the work, and in the 
different competitions the battery made a very creditable showing. In the 
regimental athletic meet I> battery proved an easy winner, with such stars as 
Gordon, Ghelardi, and Andrew Nelson. Interest was further stimulated when 
the popular Ruggiero made the divisional football team. A bo.xiirg competi- 
tion was held with E Battery which resulted in a tie. Vincer anil Ruggiero 
won for I». while Propp ami Von Hess lost to Oreter ami Goodwin of E bat- 
tery. The baseball team, under the management of Sergeant Tons, had 
defeated E battery 16 to :; and lost to (' S to ."i when events brought the 
season to an abrupt close. An amusing feature of the baseball season was 
the effort of "Bob" Freedinan to displace Joachim Simas as first sacker of the 
battery team. With much talk and more noise. Freedinan, nevertheless, never 
had a chance against Simas. with his excellent all around work, in addition 
to the halo of his sergeant's stripes. 

Near the end of November a new system of training was instituted. Lieu- 
tenant Eberstadt was in charge of the battery at this time. Captain Malum 
having gone to the Fort Sill artillery school of tire. The battery was divided 
into three groups — cannoneers, drivers, and battery commander's detail, and 
the familiar order of the day became "Cannoneers outside; drivers in the 
mess-hall; B. ('. detail in the overflow." 

Lieutenant Richard conducted the work of the cannoneers, ami all day long 
could be heard his "Aiming point, flagpole on Tower Hill," followed by the 
inevitable "Aiming point identified." The mysteries of the sights ami of the 
bubbles became second nature to the men assigned to this work, prominent 
among whom were Ronayne, Cross, Kotrba, McFadden and Munday. 

As the tables of organization at this time designated the 304th as a 
motor-drawn regiment, the training of the drivers had principally to do with 
the workings of the gasoline engine. At the start the instruction was con- 
ducted by Lieutenant MacDougall, ably assisted by Murray and McDonough. 



[IT] 



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Third Platoon Overseas. 



The lieutenant instituted a little fad of his own, that of breaking the mon- 
otony of the day by a cross-country run every hour or so, much to the disgust 
of the easy-going mechanicians. In December Lieutenant MacDougall was 
transferred to Headquarters Company, and the course was taken over by sev- 
eral new lieutenants, one after another, and seemed to lag considerably. 

The B. C. Detail instruction was conducted by Lieutenant Tweedy, and 
proved to be intensely interesting to those assigned to this branch of the 
work. The instruction covered such subjects as scouting, map-making, com- 
putation of firing data, signaling, and liaison. In part lectures, and part work 
in the open, with just enough of competition to keep the interest at high pitch, 
splendid progress was made in this branch of the work : so much so that 
1) battery's detail came to be generally recognized as the best in the regiment. 
In the B. C. work proper, Sergeant Ostertag, with an uncanny aptitude for 
work of this kind, stood out as the leader, Avhile Altman excelled at the signal 
work. 

On December 7th the battery received a large number of new men, a con- 
signment that contained all kinds of talent. Such men as Glass, Schapiro, 
Osternian, Aigeltinger, Grandin, Noxon, Petchtle, McDonough, Machby, Freed- 
man and Talbot were bound to make their presence felt in any company. The 
B. C. Detail was the greatest gainer, with such men as Glass, Schapiro, Oster- 
man, Petchtle and Noxon. 

Through the bitter days of the coldest winter Long Island has ever known, 
the training went steadily on. Iiifles were issued necessitating a wearisome 
round of aiming and sighting drills and practice at the manual of arms. Gas 
masks were issued, not enough to go around, but enough to practice with, and 
drills were held, usually conducted by Lieutenant Norris. Considerable enter- 



[18] 





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taiument was furnished by the innovations in the gas drill, for example, Pat 
Oilman's attempts to pass on the command "Send two picks a+id five shovels 
to shelter aumber five." The combination of the gas mask and Pat's dialect 
was too much for the next man. 

The best guarantee the men had against the cold of these bitter days 
was in the person of Louis Ilymau. Old Ilyinan had charge of the various 
furnaces. Plat feel and broken arches had made it impossible for him to keep 
up with the other men in the drills and hikes, and he had been made permanent 
room orderly. Hyman took the many jibes about his "ducking" the real work 
good naturedly and insisted he was anxious to do his bit to the best of his 
ability. Transferred to the infantry at the last moment, his splendid work 
as a doughboy is testified to by all who had a chance to judge, lie now lies 
buried at the furthest point of American advance on the Aisne. the victim 
of a German sniper's bullet on the night the division was relieved from that 
fiery front. 

Where a large number of men are living together in this manner there are 
bound to be a thousand and one little happenings of a purely personal nature 
which the men like to recall. And 1> battery was no exception to this general 
rule. There was Morris < ireenbauni's "Eight front into line" while drilling 
a single squad in the N. ('. 0. competition; and Harry Green's unending 
"Seinel, Shinunel, close op, close op" while on the march; and Joyce, or -lyce, 
as he called himself, the recruit from Devens, who would find his shoes and 
lose his hat. then find his hat and lose his shoes and coat, until, in despair, he 
was shipped off to Camp Gordon; and Klesmer and his cousin Kleinberg, a 
vaudeville team in themselves; and others almost without number. 

Towards the end of February rumors of big events filled the air. The 



captain was coming back and tlie battery was to fire on the rifle range. The 
two events occurred almost simultaneously, so that the captain had hardly 
arrived before he was leading the battery off to the range. The weather was 
miserable, cold and rainy, and the range was a sea of mud. Very creditable 
scores were made by the men of the battery, however, highest among which 
were those of Philpot, Cross, Lambe and Taylor. 

Near the end of March the battery received a new consignment of men, 
mainly from Buffalo and vicinity. Outstanding among these men were Mayer 
and Marshall. Mayer, on account of his magnificent bearing and appearance; 
Marshall, because he claimed he wanted to go with the infantry. The new 
men received a very strenuous course of drill under Lowell and Pons and 
were very soon fitted into the general scheme of things. 

And then, one day, like lightning out of a clear sky, came the big news. 
The division was going over. Lieutenant Eberstadt, with a sense for the 
dramatic, made the momentous announcement to a crowded mess-hall. Many 
degrees of emotion may have been observed, Abie Skoler, for one, emitting 
copious tears. Passes were immediately granted to all of the men and for 
several days all work was at a standstill. But it soon developed that the 
artillery would not go just .yet. One after the other the different units of the 
division followed the engineers out of the camp, until only the artillery re- 
mained. Final!}' the order came for the artillery to move. There followed a 
feverish week end of preparation. Many new men were enrolled and fully 
equipped, inspections were held, and battery property packed and shipped. 

The last day at Upton was a miserably cold, rainy Sunday, April 21st, 
but not even the mud and the downpour could discourage the friends and 
relatives of the men who had telephoned home of the impending departure. 
All day long the mess-hall was crowded with the home folks and it was not 
until relentless military authority gave the order that the reluctant farewells 
were said. During the evening packs were rolled, rations and ammunition 
issued, and finally, at 3 A. M., the battery was assembled in the mess-hall for 
the last time. Following brief instructions from the captain, the 1st sergeant's 
order to "Fall in outside" was given and battery T> was off for the war. 



[20] 




Chapter II. 

THE TRIP ACROSS AND EARLY DAYS IN FRANCE. 
April 22, 1918, to May 9, 1918. 



N Monday, April 22nd, Ann.. Domino. 1918, at 3:30 o'clock in the 
forenoon, and on the twenty-sixth birthday of Antonio Joachim 
Simas, erstwhile Supply Sergeant of our battery, we left our bar- 
racks at ('amp Upton, Long Island, and started on our meander- 
>ver the fare of the earth. For many a day past we had been enjoying 
a sort of military tea-party at Yaphank, but at last we were faced with the 
stern realities of warfare. With stout hearts, courageous spirits, and heavy 
packs, we marched to the railroad station, and after much delay, left the 
cam]: at the o'clock, realizing that we might be viewing it for the last lime. In 
spite of many complaints as to our food and surroundings at Yaphank, we 
felt that we were leaving a place which had become almost a home to us. 

We arrived at Long Island City at 7:15 A. M. and boarded the ferryboat 
"Hempstead." With what strange emotions did we view the receding shores of 
New York! The air was cool and clear, in contrast to the weather of the past 
few days, and the many tall buildings on the New York shore stood out 
clearly in the sunshine. There was no tooting of horns, no waving of flags 
no shedding of tears. The Great City seemed to be dead to the fact that 
we were embarking on so dangerous a cruise. There was nothing but an occa 
sional salute from some small river craft, or the wish of Godspeed from the 
passengers on some passing ferryboat. 

Arrived at Hoboken, we were landed at Tier 5, and waited there for many 
hours. During this time, women from the American Red Cross served coffee 
and buns which we greatly appreciated, for we had had no food for many 
Lours. After much delay, we walked tip the gangplank, entered the good 
ship "Leviathan," and were quartered on Decks G and II. Our quarters were 
very cramped, squalid and unsanitary. After depositing our belongings as 
best we could in the little space provided, we awaited further developments 
in quarters, as we were not allowed on deck. At about six o'clock a mess 
was served, and was very satisfactory ; but the journey to the mess hall through 
a labyrinthian maze of crowded passageways, and the manner of serving mess 
in a very crowded mess-hall was unattractive, though realized by us to be 
necessary and unavoidable on account of the large number of men on the boat. 
The next morning we arose bright and early, after having a refreshing 
eight's sleep. It was hard to realize just where we were when we first opened 
our eves and saw ourselves in these strange surroundings. Events had moved 



[21] 




Non-Gom in issioned Officers. 

so rapidly in the past few days, that it took us some time to fully recall them 
to mind, and to remember how we had come into our present whereabouts 
We performed our morning ablutions iu salt water, this being the only kind 
provided, and were then rushed through another very eatable mess. Mess 
Sergeant Dichich was the butt of many serio-comic "knocks" in comparing 
the mess on board ship with the "muss" he had always provided. He, how- 
ever, remained unshaken as well as unsupported (until we reached the front) 
in the belief that his culinary sapience was unparalleled. We could not 
be convinced, however, for the memory of many foodless days and sleepless 
nights, caused by such dishes as "rice a la Dichich," macaroni, salmon salad, 
"hand grenades," etc., still lingered. It has often been proven in history 
that a genius is never recognized in his own age. We were entirely willing 
that his genius be recognized, and that he receive his just desserts hereafter, 
in an atmosphere which would be more conducive to good cooking and 
roasting. 

The ship remained in dock all day. Most of us were kept busy carrying 
blue bags aboard. The others were confined to quarters, and no one was 
allowed on deck. 

When we arose on Wednesday morning, we felt our cots rocking slightly, 
and knew that we were out to sea. At noon, we were allowed on deck for the 
first time. Land was still in sight and many sea-gulls were flying about the 
sea. The ship had left the dock at 5:15 A. M. and as she was not travelling 
very rapidly, we were still in sight of land. The stay on deck was scheduled 
to last until 1 :30 only, but great joy was caused by the announcement that 
we would be allowed on deck at will, for the remainder of the trip. For the 
rest of the day we were curiously examining the ship and looking into the 



[22] 



sea. Candies and drinks were purchased from the canteen, and the deck 
presented a Lively sight, with the men noisily discussing the trip and the 
surprising events of the past few days. After the afternoon mess (only two 
meals a day were served to the troops on the boat, one in the morning and one 
in the afternoon), an "Abandon Ship" drill was held lor the first time. This 
was conducted in the following manner: A call was blown by the Navy 
Bugler, followed by the call down the various hatchways "All hands abandon 
ship!" This was the signal for instant activity. Immediately, the men were 
seen hurrying to their quarters from the various parts of the ship, so that they 
could get their life-belts. The section chiefs called the rolls, while everyone 
was busy putting on his life-preserver and his cartridge belt, with one blanket 
folded over it. At a signal from the deck above, we hurried upstairs to a 
Mustering Station, where we were lined up in order, and were sent up to the 
upper deck as the Naval Officer there called for us. It was made clear to us 
that in the case of an actual ship abandonment, should any man be seen 
running excitedly about, he would be shot instantly. When we were gathered 
on the upper deck, where the lifeboats were, "Recall" was sounded, and we 
returned to our quarters. 

The decks were cleared at about seven o'clock, and all lights went out at 
alioui eight, leaving the place in pitch darkness. We had to grope our way 
in the dark to find our bunks. We were all finally settled for the night, how 
ever, and except for the occasional snoring of some neighbor, and the distant 
chug-chug of the engines, a quiet as absolute as the darkness reigned. 

The next few days were uneventful, but since we were allowed on deck a I 
will, we found enough to interest us. The sea wore a very gay aspect. As 
far as the eye could see, at the crest of each wave, were snow-white spats of 
foam, presenting the appearance of masses of clean, floating snow. The water 
was very gentle and beautifully colored by the dazzling sunshine. Above, 
as though suspended in mid-air, hung Huffy masses of fleecy white clouds, 
here and there delicately tinted pink. The horizon stretched about us in 
a complete circle, the central point of which was the "Leviathan." 

The sea was not very rough and none of us were affected by rocking of 
the boat excepting Buckmiller and Corporal Henry .Miller. "Buck" used to 
get sea-sick riding a plow, he said, while "Uncle Henry" used to sutler even in 
a row boat on the Hudson. Henry, believing in the power of mind over matter, 
lay in his cot. reading "In the Hollow of his Hand," by one of his favorite 
New Thought authors. When Captain Mahon came around, and jestingly 
told him he only believed he was sick, he was greatly incensed, for his stomach 
had already left proof sufficient in the hollow of his hand. 

Sunday arrived and how different it was from past Sundays! In military 
life the distinction between Sunday and the rest of the week is not so 
marked, especially when one is so unfortunate as to be on kitchen police. 
The day was spent on deck and those who were reflectively inclined, pictured 
in the retrospect, the last Sunday they had spent in Camp Upton. Rain in 
bucketfuls and mud up to the knees, a tense air of anticipation and excite- 
ment about the barracks, great hustle and bustle in equipping the new men, 
arrival of visitors in taxis, tin' presence of visitors, mothers and sweethearts 
in large numbers, final farewells — all were reviewed. Seven days later, and 



[23] 



what a difference in scene! Thousands of miles away and still being relent- 
lessly rushed forward. 

On May 1st, the convo}', consisting of five American destroyers, arrived 
and the ship immediately increased its speed. During the day, the follow- 
ing message sent by the Leviathan to one of the destroyers, by heliograph, was 
picked up by Corporal Altaian and Private Sofio : 

"Please send following b} r radio to Brest : Leviathan will arrive 

about 6:30 A. M. tomorrow; requests that anchorage bearing 123° 

true from Du Portzic lighthouse be clear for a radius of 500 yards." 
This news was immediately spread around and caused much excitement. 

That night we passed through the danger zone, and every precaution was 
taken. We were ordered to sleep in all of our clothes as well as in our life- 
preservers. Guards were stationed at every porthole and we were not even 
allowed to wash in the basins near them. We felt that this night would be 
decisive as to whether we would or would not reach our port safely. 

All doubts on this score were dispelled when we were awakened, next 
morning, by the sound of the sinking of anchors. When, at about 7 :15, we 
passed over deck for our mess, we saw the town of Brest on the shores in 
front of us. Small red sailboats were in the harbor, and destroyers were 
speeding back and forth. Brest was picturesquely settled in the hills and 
presented a pretty appearance in the sunshine. At about noon, orders were 
given to move off the boat, and were quickly carried out. Soon afterward, 
we were on a British lighter alongside of the "Leviathan," having first received 
a lunch consisting of two ham sandwiches, a piece of cake and an apple. Amid 
the cheers from the nurses, sailors and troops remaining on board, and with 
the band playing "Good-bye, little girl, good-bye," the lighter slowly chugged 
away. 

Fifteen minutes later, we landed at Brest. The first sights that struck 
us as being odd were the boys dressed in gowns, almost like girls, and the 
coolies at work in the railroad yards. Requests for "cigarettes for papa" 
and "biscuit Americain" were numerous and were in most cases granted. 
After lining up, we marched up a steep hill through the town. The sights 
were interesting. There were few people on the streets. The children and 
aged folk looked healthy, but the young women looked for the most part 
unhealthy, and not of the best character. Stores with the sign "Commerce 
de Yin" were as numerous as soda fountains in America. The fields out- 
side of the town were covered with green grass and spotted with lilac- 
bushes, violets, buttercups and other flowers. The sweet odors from the 
flowers were, however, unhappily mixed with the malodorous stenches caused 
by the imperfect sewerage system of Brest. 

The sun was very hot and the road very dusty, and several of the men had 
to drop out, but they rejoined the battery before they reached the barracks. 
At Saint Saens, the order "fall out" was given, and a rest had. Many of the 
inhabitants gathered around, and the requests for "biscuit Americain" and 
cigarettes became more insistent than ever. The people had a squalid and 
poverty-stricken appearance. Maison Blanche was the next village we 
passed through and then the barracks were reached. A sign on the road 
announced the name "Pontenezen Barracks." 



[24] 



Entrance to the barracks was had through an old red wooden don- with 
iron framework, of mediaeval construction, which was opened by a guard. Old 
lanterns, long out of use. were fixed to the iron pari of the door. High, aged 
looking walls, of broken stone, stretched away from the gate on both sides. 
Inside the walls, there was a large, well leveled parade ground. The barracks 
were long concrete structures, with slate tile roofs and small gabled windows. 
Everything about them had the appearance of antiquity, and it was later 
ascertained that these very barracks had been occupied by Napoleon's troops. 

The battery was assigned to barracks marked "Baft. U. 1," upstairs. We 
marched up low wooden steps into a long, dimly lighted room, with heavy 
raftered ceilings, wooden floors and small windows. Places on the floor were 
assigned to each section for sleeping purposes and packs were unrolled. We 
then washed np in fresh water drawn from springs. Candles were lit at 
about 9:30, until which hour it remained light. At about 10:30, supper, 
consisting of corned beef hash, bread and coffee was served, outdoors on the 
ground. It was a rather unusual sight to see men and officers squatting on 
the ground, and, in the dim light cast by the kitchen fire, eating with satis 
faction their meager meal. 

For the next few days, we did very little. Many of us were on detail 
at Brest, tearing down roads and unloading lumber. The rest of us found 
enough to interest us. Some went through the barracks, searching through 
every nook and cranny, in quest of some relic of Napoleon's day. Others 
wandered around the camp and "took in" the sights. 

On Sunday, we were assembled with Headquarters Company, and marched 
through the neighboring country with band playing. Many pretty towns 
were passed through, Gouesnou, Benetine and La Housse being among them. 
One of the interesting features of the day was the attempt at conversation in 
French with the peasants and children, on the part of the men. The country 
was very beautiful, and the roads were surrounded by bushes and trees 
and beautiful flowers. The peasants wore black velvet hats with a long 
streamer, called "chapeau paysan." In a quiet spot, we fell out and several 
vocal and instrumental selections were given by the men. We returned 
with band playing, feeling that we had spent a very enjoyable and interesting 
afternoon. 

The following day we spent in the same manner. Joined by Battery C 
this lime, we started on a march through the neighboring towns. After march- 
ing lor some time, we fell out for an hour, during which time Lieutenant 
Eberstadt delivered a talk on French money. March was resumed, and at 
Cambezellac, we joined the rest of the regiment in the square surrounding the 
town church. A band concert was given, in the course of which, the Mar- 
seillaise and The Star-Spangled Banner were played and highly applauded. 
We returned in time for noon mess. In the afternoon, Captain Mahon, in the 
course of a lecture, advised us that we would move out early in the morning. 
All preparations were made to move on a moment's notice, and we retired 
early, expecting an early call. 

At :!:()() A. M. the bugle blew. We dressed, washed, messed and packed 
our rolls all by candle light. We were lined up at 4:15 and left cam]) shortly 
afterward. The quiet greyness preceding dawn surrounded us as we marched 



iii silence towards Brest. Slowly, as the march continued and the hour 
grew later, pedestrians appeared, shutters were opened, and signs generally 
of a re-awakening world were seen. Arrived at the railroad station at Brest, 
we had a long wait, during which we conversed as best we could with the 
passersby. German, Turkish and Austrian prisoners were marched by while 
we waited. 

We finally boarded French box cars, much smaller than American box 
cars, with the following inscription on them. 

40 HOMMES 
S CHEVAUX (EN LONG) 

There was hardly room to breathe. Packs were suspended from the ceiling, 
and every available inch of space was used. Loaves of bread and canned food 
were piled up in the center of the car. The car was subdivided into com- 
partments, so that thirty-two men could sit knee to knee. The remaining 
eight or nine in each car had to sit on the floor. Ventilation was furnished 
by means of two squares, cut on each side of the car. 

The train left Brest at 8:55, and passed over very beautiful country. 
Green, rolling hills, sweeping valleys, squares of yellow flowers in the midst 
of green fields, gnarled stumps covered with vines — all this was part of the 
panoramic landscape as the train rolled along. We ate for the first time at 
(i:00 P. M., having been fifteen hours without food of any kind. Since no 
lights could be had, we had to remain in darkness. We tried to sleep on the 
benches and floors but found it impossible. It was a restless and uncomfort- 
able night, and everyone agreed that it was the worst we had thus far expe- 
rienced. 

Nantes was reached at 2 :00 A. M. Hot black coffee with a brandy taste, 
furnished by the French Bed Cross, was brought on the cars, and helped to 
make us more comfortable. We passed through Bochefort-sur-la-Mer, Pons 
and other large towns, and, finally, at about 8:00 P. M., reached Bordeaux. 
It was a welcome sight to our eyes, for we felt that the end of the trip was 
near. Considerable delay was experienced between Bordeaux and the camp 
siding some fifteen miles awav, which was reached about midnight. 



[2(5] 




Chapter III. 

TRAINING PERIOD AT CAMP DE SOUGE. 
May 9, 1918. to July 9, 1918. 




mile> 



JETER arriving ;il the station, we jumped oil' the cars and lined up. 
There was a big hustle and bustle as motor trucks rushed back and 
forth. After considerable delay, I lie march was started, and through 
groves of trees, making a pilch dark aisle, we inarched lor several 
The darkness was so intense that we could not see a tool in front of 
us. At last, we arrived at the long' wooden structures which were to be our 
barracks. Alter hurriedly setting up wooden hunks, we retired al about .".:•><> 
A. M. The blue bags arrived in Hie morning and the bed sacks were taken ou1 
of them and filled with excelsior. The barracks were then swept up and 
things generally set in order. 

The news soon spread thai the regiment had been converted into a French 
"75" regiment and created quite a stir. A few days later, we pulled our 
guns from an ordnance depot to the battery, and got our first view of them. 
The following Monday our regular training schedule commenced. The bat 
tery was divided into its various details and the men received instruction in 
their particular duties. Most of the men were on the cannons. Others were 
assigned to the Telephone School, the Radio School ami the Machine Gun 
School. For the next few weeks, everybody was busy all of the lime, learning 
the business of modern warfare. An excellent corps of instructors supervised 



[-'< 



the work and .showed an efficiency which was subsequently rarely encountered 
in our military experience. 

An epidemic of mumps and the measles soon went the rounds, and many, 
including Sergeant Pons, were put in the sick bay, where they led "the life of 
Riley," doing nothing all day. We were put under quarantine, and were not 
permitted to leave the limits of the camp. 

On Sundays, passes were issued to ten per cent, of each battery for 
Bordeaux. Q. M. trucks transported us there and back. At Bordeaux, lively 
sights again greeted our eyes, and made the Iowa farmers sit up and take 
notice. "Gin-mills," where they dispensed "red ink" and similar beverages, 
the much-vaunted French mademoiselles, with their "oo-la-la," automobiles, 
trolley-cars and even ice-cream were a few of the reminders of civilization we 
received here. "Good Conduct Passes" were also issued to those of us who 
were "good." These entitled us to visit the villages of Bonneau, Isaac, 
St. Medard, Martignas and St. Jeah-d'Illac, when not on duty. By far the 
most popular of these villages was St. Medard, where most of us spent 
our Sundays. This was a small market town with a lot of booths 
set up, in which merchandise was sold. The houses were ancient and 
the village made a very pretty sight. The town was usually the scene of much 
activity. Japs, coolies and American and French soldiers tilled the streets, as 
well as visitors from neighboring villages, who were arriving, dressed in their 
Sunday best, in their high, two-wheeled carts. In the village square, a band 
of gypsies had settled and were selling horses, pigs and cows. Around the 
square, picnic parties were usually formed, and families and couples were 
seated in the grass with their luncheon spread out. Meals were usually 
served to the men at the many inns, in and about the town, and were very 
satisfactory, excepting that bread and sugar were entirely lacking. Every 
restaurant had the sign "No bread" posted. Cigarettes were also not procur- 
able anywhere. Fruit and vegetables, hoAvever, were in" great abundance, at 
reasonable prices. 

In the meantime, our schooling in the science of warfare was progress- 
ing very rapidly. We started going out to different observation posts at the 
large range nearby, from which we fired. The officers were given problems at 
the observation posts and sent their commands down by telephone to the guns. 
When the commands were executed and the guns were fired, the officers 
observed the fire through glasses, made corrections and finally adjusted on 
their targets. The cannoneers worked on the guns, the telephone men on the 
wires and the officers in directing fire. We were thus receiving the training 
which made us later so well organized and co-ordinated a unit. 

As our experience increased, we started firing practice barrages. We 
camped out in our shelter tents at the range, and turned in, leaving guards 
posted who were to observe for barrage rockets. Several times during these 
nights, the signals came, and we were routed out of our blankets to put over a 
"deadly barrage." 

Gas masks arrived and Harknett was made "Gas Sergeant." The steel 
helmets were also issued and we started having gas-mask drill. George trained 
us to do the stunt in six seconds, even though he made a pest of himself in 
doing it. No matter where we were, we could not escape his ghastly and 



I 28 I 




Group. 



highly realistic yell "(las!" and we lia<l to drop everything and put on our 
Has masks, which we were now required l<> wear at all formations. 

The horses also arrived, and now developed our love for these "dogs" of 
war. They kicked us, bit us and trampled us under foot, while we learned 
to treat them "as we would our children." The task of grooming, feeding and 
watering them was an ever-present horror, and lucky was he who could suc- 
cessfully "duck" a formation and "get away with it." The farmers, of course, 
didn't mind them, hut the "pen pushers" from the city were not accustomed 
to the "dogs" and their treatment as yet, and they longed for the 4.7's and the 
much heard of tractors. With the horses started the equitation instruction 
under Lieutenant Richard and Lieutenant Lunny. Lieutenant Richard 
gathered a group of inexperienced X. <'. O.'s around him and started to tell 
them how a horse was to he properly ridden. He attempted to give a practical 
demonstration, hut the horse evidently had not been accustomed to the most 
approved methods of riding, as taughl in Plattsburgh, with the result that 
the Lieutenant gracefully though forcibly was seated on the ground as the 
animal vanished from under him like a streak of wind. Many of the X. C. O.'s, 
profiting by this instruction, succeeded in imitating the Lieutenant to perfec- 
tion, and Corporal Miller, Corporal Freedman and Sergeant Clackner were 
especially expert in this direction. Sergeant Ruggiero discovered a new means 
of mounting a horse — by climbing up one id' his hind legs and hoisting him- 
self up by his tail. All of the horses didn't stand for this, however, ami 
"Buggy" also "bit the dust" very often. 

On July 2nd we took our first long road march. We rose at 5 A. M. and 
left camp in complete mounted formation, for a Held problem. We were 
in the saddle all morning, and up to about 2 1'. M., when a stop was had for 



[291 




Telephone, Observing and Machine Gun Details. 

mess, which was prepared and served from the rolling kitchen. At this stop 
the horses were watered. After mess, the march was continued, aud at a 
certain point in the road, the order to go into position and fire was given. 
Communication was quickly established, aud firing commenced, under the 
observation of General Bees. The firing ceased at about 6 P. M., and mess 
was again served on the road. We then started on the return march, reach- 
ing the barracks at about 10:30. 

The following morning, we learned that we would parade in Bordeaux on 
July 4th, and preparations immediately commenced. Spurs were issued to all 
of the drivers and troopers. After dinner, we left camp on the way to Bor- 
deaux. Everybody wore their best "duds" and felt iu excellent spirits. At 
about six o'clock, Le Bouscat was reached, where we pitched camp. This was 
a very beautiful spot, formerly a fashionable race track, and was marked 
"Pelouse." The picket line was established, horses groomed aud mess served, 
and then the men lounged around taking life easy. French peasants from the 
adjoining country visited the camp in the evening. The band played selec- 
tions from the grandstand, and the holiday spirit prevailed. 

On July 4th, we arose bright and early, and immediately watered the 
horses. We left our camp at eight o'clock for Bordeaux. As we rode through 
the streets, we drew forth much applause from the crowds. The reviewing 
stand was at Rue de la Tournaj 1 ', and as the battery passed by there were many 
cries of "Joli" and "Vive l'Amerique." The band played and the moving 
picture machines were busy. The horses behaved excellently, and the conduct 
of the battery was praiseworthy. The city was decorated lavishly with French 
and American flags and bunting, and all business places were closed. After 
passing the reviewing stand, we returned by the same route to the camping 



[30] 



place. Passes were issued to us, and most of us went back to Bordeaux and 
enjoyed a good meal and some "vin rouge" there. 

The next day, we were hack at Souge, and except for a large forest fire 
which we had much trouble in extinguishing, nothing of interest occurred 
until July 9th, when we learned that we would leave Camp and entrain for 
parts unknown. Details for the entire trip were made up and announced. 
The bedsacks were emptied, the bunks taken down, and the barracks tlior 
oughly cleaned. In the morning the entire battery went to the <Jas House, 
where they were put through "tear gas.'' There were no killed or wounded, 
nevertheless, many of us returned in tears. A collection was made for lux 
uries for the trip, to break the monotony of canned corned beef and similar 
delicacies, and seven hundred francs were collected. 

At about six o'clock the entire battery, except for details remaining behind 
to police up the barracks, marched to the railroad station at Bonneau. The 
work of loading up the cars was immediately commenced. Some difficulty 
was had in loading the horses on the box cars, but this was finally accom- 
plished by the Herculean efforts of French, Pons, Von Pless and Schwab. 
Eight horses were put in each car, four on each side, head to head with each 
other, and two men in the center. All of the battery equipment, including 
wagons, limbers, caissons and pieces were loaded on flat cars. 

The box cars for the men were similar to those we had had on the trip 
from Brest, but were much more comfortable, because only twenty-two were 
assigned to a car, instead of forty-one, as on that trip. The seats were taken 
down, and bedsacks which some of the men had brought wifh them, were 
spread over the floors, making a soft bedding. The loading lasted until about 
midnight, at which hour a light luncheon consisting of a cup of coffee, matzoth 
and molasses syrup was served. We were assigned to our cars for the trip, 
and turned in about one o'clock. 



[3i; 




Chapter IV. 

AT THE FRONT— THE BACCARAT SECTOR. 
July 10, 1918, to July 31, 1918. 



AKLY in the morning of July 10th, the train pulled out of the sta- 
tion at Bonneau. This departure marked a very definite phase in 
Our adventures and we all felt that here was the end of one of the 
stages of our experiences, and the beginning of a new and much 
more serious one. From now on, it was a question of passing from hardships 
to ever greater hardships, and it was with a feeling of regret that we left the 
environs of Souge. In spite of diarrhoea and sand, it had been a pleasant 
place. Y. M. C. A.'s, "vin rouge," the close proximity of Bordeaux and 
St. Medard, had rendered the place bearable, even to those who did not appre- 
ciate the beauties of the surrounding pine woods. On the other hand, the 
"wanderlust" of the men, the variety and novelty of travelling, the break in 
the monotony of training camp existence, and the curiosity as to "What's 
next?" counterbalanced these regrets to a certain extent, and in many cases 
made the departure desired. 

After much dilly-dallying, Bordeaux was reached at 9 A. M., and we 
were allowed to go into the station and wash. The train started shortly after- 
ward, and except for occasional stops, maintained a regular speed during the 
day. The country passed through was most beautiful, even more so than the 
country between Brest and Bordeaux. Lombardy poplars adorned the land- 
scape everywhere. Grass-covered hills and valleys afforded, a very pleasing 
panoramic view to our eyes as we sat on the floors of our "Pullmans" near 
the doors. Every bit of land was carefully and neatly cultivated, a fact 
which was hardly understandable, in view of the absence of the men. Women 
were seen at work occasionally and the train even had a woman "switchlady" 
dressed in a neat suit of black. Many American camps were seen en route, 
and the entire country showed signs of Americanization. At mess, which was 
served from the moving kitchen on one of the cars, cigarettes, candy, chocolate, 
raisins, oranges and nuts were served, being purchased by the contribution 
of the men. At night, we squatted on the floors near the doors of our cars 
and sang such songs as "Tenting to-night," "Indiana," and other sentimental 
tunes, until we, one by one, fell off to sleep in our corners. 

We continued this trip through the entire next day and night, and it was 
not until the morning following that we saw the first signs of warfare. At 
Blainville, where quite a large number of French soldiers in trench equipment 



[32] 




Battery culinary establishment. 

were observed, we saw the first placard "Abri de Bombardment." Several houses 
showed signs of bombardment and everywhere indications of the close prox- 
imity of the front were apparent. After we reached Luneville, shell torn 
houses could be seen all along the route. We finally reached Baccarat and 
unloaded. Everywhere was hustle and hustle, and no time was even had to 
serve mess. The horses presented a very sorry appearance, with bruises all 
over them, and manes and tails all tangled up and dirty. Soon afterward we 
started off to the echelon, about three kilometers away. An interval of one 
hundred yards was maintained between each of the pieces, so that the battery 
would not present too large a target to enemy aeroplanes. The horses were 
also marched up at intervals. Instructions were given to everyone to be on the 
lookout for aeroplanes, and to stop immediately if any were seen. We reached 
the echelon at about 4:30. It was located in the midst of woods on a 
hillside, and gave a very excellent view of the beautiful surrounding country. 
A picket line was immediately stretched, and the horses were groomed and 
fed. We then pitched our tents and ate a scant mess. Mail was distributed 
and was greatly appreciated, for in most cases it contained words of good 
cheer and acted as a tonic to us in our strange surroundings. 

The announcement was then made that a large part of the battery would 
leave for the front that night, and preparations immediately commenced. 
Revolvers and ammunition were distributed to all of those who were leaving. 
Canvas leggings were removed and spirals put on in their place, as only the 
latter were allowed to be worn at the front. Darkness came on soon, and in 
the dark we saddled our horses and adjusted the gas masks on them. We 
wore our steel helmets and belts, and as we passed each other in this garb, with 
our revolvers sticking out of our hip-pockets, we presented strange figures. 



;33] 



Jam sandwiches were served to those leaving, and then Capt. Mahon addressed 
a few words to us, cautioning and advising us as to the night's adventures. 

About midnight, the order "Forward, Ho!" was given and the battery 
moved out. The Captain rode at the head, followed by the B. C. Detail in a 
column of two's. The horses were very impatient and unruly, no doubt, 
because of their long trip on the box cars, and because of the unaccustomed 
gas masks on their noses. The sky was overcast, and everything was en- 
shrouded in pitch darkness. As we moved along, no sounds could be heard 
except the clatter of the horses' hoofs, the muffled tones of the men, the occa- 
sional rumbling of a cart passing by, and the distant booming of guns. Now 
and then, flares lit up the sky, and signal rockets rose here and there. As the 
procession n eared certain points, the dark figure of a sentry would come into 
view, and the procession would be halted until the countersign was given. 
We passed through a village which had recently been shelled and looked with 
interest at the dark, almost ghastly outlines of the houses, with their tumbling- 
walls and the shell-holes through their roofs. At another village, the few 
houses had their blinds mysteriously drawn, and behind the blinds could be 
seen bright lights. Two mysterious figures came out, and after a talk with 
the Battery Commander, went on ahead, while the column was halted. They 
soon returned, and then the battery moved onward. About 3 A. M. a turn 
in the road was reached, and we went into our first gun position. It was day- 
break before our work was done, and then we went into the dugouts and 
tumbled off to sleep, clothes and all, as best we could in the limited space. 
Frenchmen were still occupying the position, so our quarters were very 
cramped. 

We slept most of the day, and it was almost evening before we arose 
and looked over our new home. It was an excellent position on the side of a 
hill, and was very well camouflaged. The dugouts and bomb-proof shelters 
were not yet completed, but work was well under way. The surrounding 
country was very beautiful, and a few hours out of doors here would compen- 
sate for the many hours which would have to be spent underground. 

The next day was Sunday, July 14th, the French national holiday; yet it 
neither felt like Sunday nor a holiday to us. We continued the digging in the 
dug-outs and bomb-proof shelters all day, and walked around all besmeared 
and dirty from the clay earth. The Frenchmen, however, were all cleaned 
up and in holiday attire, and between "vin rouge" and other beverages, they 
had a merry time of it. As best they could, they expressed their kindly sym- 
pathy and love for their "Camarades Americains," as they termed us, and 
drank to the health of the American and French Republics — "« la sante des 
Republiques Francaise et Americaine." The names of Lafayette and Franklin 
were often mentioned, and on the whole, the finest spirit of friendship 
prevailed. 

In the afternoon we fired a few rounds to "adjust" the guns. There was 
great aeroplane activity in the sky, and more than once were the machine 
guns trained against enemy aircraft. Half of the battery spent the nights in 
the dugouts, while the other half slept under the shelter of a cowshed or stable 
nearby, at the "barracks." Rats were very numerous here, and climbed all 
over us. and many of us awoke to find several of the rodents playing tag on 



[34] 



our chests. A few "Allez's" helped to chase them away for the time, they 
being French rats, but they returned all too soon. 

()n the 19th, the French left the position, leaving the emplacement in our 
entire charge. Life had already settled down to a dull routine, and for the 
next few days we did nothing hut dig, dig and dig. When the news reached 
us on the olst that we were to move out that night, we greeted it with joy, 
even though we did not know where our next stop would be. 

The line from the Champagne plains to the Swiss border was at this time 
made up entirely of "quiet sectors."' It scarcely seemed to he the "Front" 
at all. Farther up the line the terrible counter-offensive had started and both 
sides were using up every shell and every ounce of strength in that decisive 
conflict. Life had been dull at Yaxainville, hut we had kept busy and hail 
put into practice many of the things we had been taught at Souge. 



[35] 




Chapter V. 

VAXAINVILLE TO THE NESLE WOODS. 
July 31, 1918, to August 12, 1918. 



T was midnight when we left Vaxainville. A clear crescent moon lit 
up the sky and helped to make the early part of the hike enjoyable. 
The many villages through which we passed had been heavily 
shelled and the indistinct outlines of their ruins presented a spec- 
tral appearance in the moonlight. We continued hiking all night with but 
little rest, and the morning saw us fatigued and wearied; but, in spite of our 
weariness, we were very much interested in the sights as the day broke and 
made them visible. In the early morning we arrived at a strip of woods where 
we joined the rest of the battery which had proceeded separately from the 
echelon. We were almost famished and the meagre breakfast, consisting of 
one slice of bread and bacon, did little towards satisfying our hunger. After 
the horses were taken care of and all other details provided for, we were 
able to get about two hours' sleep in the rain. 

At about ten o'clock of that night, our journey was resumed under condi- 
tions similar to those of the preceding night. Many villages were passed 
on the march. The men were on the verge of exhaustion and kept on march- 
ing ahead in a lifeless mechanical way. The woods and the outlines of trees 
and bushes took on strange and fantastic shapes as we passed by them with 
eyes almost closed. After another all-night hike, we arrived at a strip of 
woods, outside of the village of Virecourt, near Bayon. Camp was pitched 
in a grassy clearing and the men enjoyed a few hours' sleep during the day 
before retiring for the night. 

The following morning the battery was assembled and informed by Ser- 
geant French that the Captain was very much pleased with the manner 
in which the men had endured the hardships of the march. He gave the 
further information that we would be encamped here for several days, and 
that no gas masks, side-arms or steel helmets would have to be worn. There 
was a general feeling of relief when this news was heard, as it seemed to 
indicate a step away from the actual fighting front. Many rumors were 
current as to our destination, and it was generally believed that we were 
going to Italy. Galiano Anselmi, Antola, Monaco, Procopio, and several 
other of our Italian comrades were overjoyed at the thought and immediately 
made mental pictures of their popularity with the fair sex of Italy, when 
they should arrive sporting their graceful, soldierly forms in the American 
uniform. In the evening they started a rehearsal of Italian songs. Music 



[36] 



tilled the air until the source of these sweet sounds was discovered, and then 
(in cans, hottles, shoes and other such bouquets of appreciation filled the air. 
The vocalists did not "encore." Galiano was very much incensed at Curnan, 
"Paddy" Bowler and several other sons of Ireland who helped to break up 
his party. "Manage niarrone" and other of his favorite cuss words were 
hurled at them, but succeeded only in drawing forth the contemptuous re- 
joinder from "Paddy" that "Thim hathen wops didn't know nuthin about 
music; if they would only sing 'Erin go Bragh' or some other civilized tune 
instid of thot Dago lingo we all might jine the karus." 

We spent the next two days in this camp, and enjoyed every minute of this 
short stay. The men bathed in the clear, pebble-bottomed Moselle River aud 
felt much refreshed. In the evenings, passes were issued to Virecourt and 
Bayon, where ice-cream and beer were purchased and were partaken of by all 
who could get there before the limited supply was sold out. The M. l'.'s had a 
hard time getting Nihan and (tleason away from the ice-cream counter and 
"Barney" Lowell aud "Hank" Miller from the beer counter. 

In the morning of August 7, the shrill and unwelcome whistle of the 
First Sergeant blew at 4:15. The tents, wet from the rain which had been 
falling during the night, were immediately struck and packs were rolled. At 
7:30 we moved out, and marched with very heavy packs up a succession of 
steep hills for a long distance until we reached Einvaux, where the familiar 
French box cars were awaiting us. These were immediately loaded up, and 
in the early afternoon, we pulled out of the statiou. Many other troop trains 
passed us. We received an excellent reception everywhere and everybody was 
in tine spirits. Every box-car door was open and the men sang their 
favorite tunes as they sat grouped around the doorways viewing the scenery. 
All lights were ordered out after dark, and the machine-gun guards were 
posted on the flat-cars in case of an avion attack. 

The ride was continued all night and until noon of the next day, when 
we detrained at Coulomniers. This was a lively place for a French town, and 
there was quite a bit of activity on the streets. As we marched through, loaded 
down with our heavy packs, the civilian inhabitants curiously looked us over. 

Coulomniers had been one of the points of the farthest advance made by 
the Boche in 11114. It was, however, fairly well intact, with the exception of 
the electric power-house just opposite from the siding where we detrained. 
This building had been levelled by hostile aviators just a couple of weeks 
before in the grand but futile Boche smash of July 15. We all felt thrilled 
at our arrival in this part of France, for it was within easy striking distance 
of Chateau-Thierry — a name which even at that early date had begun to grip 
the imagination of the A. E. F. We had heard or read in the papers only- 
scattering accounts of the glorious Franco-American counter-attack of July 
18, but we realized that the part of the line we were headed for had been the 
crux of the fiercest struggle in the war and was the most active part of the 
line at this time. 

We hiked two kilometers and reached St. Denis. This was a small, 
clean, picturesque village, perched on the top of a hill, overlooking the neigh 
boring country. Its red-roofed huts were grouped around the village church. 
The village folk were in the square, lined up in their Sunday best, and gave 



[37] 



us a very glad reception as we marched in. The kitchen was established 
at a central point and supper prepared and served. After mess the battery 
assembled near the church and were led off in groups to their respective billets 
which consisted of bunks in old barns and deserted houses. 

In the evening of the next day the battery was assembled in front of the 
church and given the previous month's pay. Many lively groups gathered 
around the village and visited the "Epicerie," where, under the stimulating 
effects of "via rouge" and other beverages, many a knotty problem of 
military strategy and tactics was "doped out." 

We left St. Denis at 5 :30 the following evening, carrying our full rolls 
and packs, and marched very hurriedly for nearly three hours, and then 
halted for mess. The halt was of such short duration, however, that very 
few could finish their meal, and when the order to resume march came, we 
had to run along behind the carriages with hardtack in one hand and a cup 
of coffee in the other, trying to eat, to the amusement of the village inhabit- 
ants. The march, continued all night, brought us into the wooded slopes of 
the Marne Valley. We became so fatigued, that when a halt was ordered, 
we dropped into the nearest spot, no matter where. The grass became wet 
with dew, and the air chill. Our clothes were still wet with perspiration from 
the heat of the day, and when we dropped into the wet grass and the chill air 
reached our bodies, we- became uncomfortably cold. 

During the few short rests, the order came down from the head of the 
column : "Cannoneers, pull grass to feed the horses !" "Uncle Henry" tried 
this with the team nearest him, and fed them plenteously with clover. When 
the order "Forward Ho!" was given, the "dogs" started forward at a great 
pace, evidently refreshed by the grass, and "Hank" had all he could do to 
keep up with them. Much incensed, "Hank" tried to argue with the beasts, 
but they wouldn't listen to reason. At the next halt, Henry had some new 
thoughts on the subject, and the horses received uo more encouragement. 

At 5 A. M., very weary in body and spirit, we pulled into a stretch of 
woods overlooking the River Marne, and dropped off for a few hours' sleep. 
During the day, many men bathed in the stream, trying to get some relief 
for their blistered feet. The medical men gave us some attention, but what we 
needed most was rest; and that was not to be had. At 6:30 P. M-, we again 
started hiking over very rough roads. We passed over a long pontoon bridge, 
crossing the Marne at Chateau-Thierry, where we hiked through a large, wide 
avenue, lined with trees. The dust, dirt and debris of bombarded buildings 
were on all sides, and the whole town seemed to be shattered. No lights were 
apparent anywhere. No persons were to be seen in the streets except the 
dusky figure of a sentinel, here and there. We hiked through in a great 
hurry and halted at dawn in the Bois de Fere. As we were fast approaching 
the front once more, it was essential to clear the roads before break of day to 
avoid the eye of enemy aviators. We had much difficulty here in finding 
clean patches of ground on which to pitch our tents. The woods had recently 
been a camping ground occupied by the Germans, and the ground was strewn 
over with their equipment and other traces of their habitation. Nearby, the 
unburied body of a French soldier reminded us that we were fast approaching 
the real horrors of warfare. 



[38] 




Coiiar in Chateau Thierry rounded by 304 

/■'. I. about 10 /'. 1/. in August, 1918. Harkneti 

mill Miller several months later at same spot 

mi their "photo" tour a! the front. 

After a day spent in trying to remedy the condition of our feet, and in 
snatching some sleep whenever possible, we started out in the evening again 
(in a hike which, for hardship, outrivaled any which we had up to this time 
taken. The roads were full of nils and shell holes, with loose rocks and stones 
scattered over them, and as we plodded along in the dark, we would stumble 
over these, and have the greatesl difficulty in recovering ourselves, laden 
down with our heavy packs. Throughout the night, the disgusting and sicken 
ing stenches from unburied dead horses reached us, and were more disagree 
able than the physical hardships of hiking. The roads were very congested, 
both with carriages and soldiers. Long tiles of infantrymen, returning from 
the front, passed us. These troops were of the Fourth U. S. Division, which 
our infantry had already relieved, and we therefore were very anxious to hear 
something of the front towards which we were speeding. Little satisfaction 
did we derive from our queries — some such rejoinders as "You'll learn all 
about it when you get there," or "It's hell, alright," and "The Boche may he 
running hut they are still kicking hard," were neither reassuring nor satisfy- 
ing. At a halt, one of us lit a cigarette. "Put out that light, you — — fool! 
After you've hail a few bombs drop on your dome, you'll have more sense 
than that," came from one of the returning veterans of the line. 

All the while the constant flashing of distant guns lit up the night sky 
and as the march progressed, the booming of cannons sounded louder in the 
still night air. Hell was loose and we were headed for it as fast as our 
weary limbs could bring us. At the halts the men were unusually quiet thai 
night — a combination of exhaustion and a feeling of suspense over the prospect 
of coming events. 

The strain of our rapid march was beginning to tell not alone on the men 
but also on the horses with their heavy loads. At that time the battery 
still boasted of eight powerful-looking stallions which were distributed in 
pairs to the <!. S. wagons, loaded with 7."> mm. shells, and driven by sucli 



im 




Old Battery D echelon in Nesle Woods, 
Vesle sector. 



expert horsemen as Brotz, Lendzun, Van Auken and Kvalheim. The most 
powerful pair of the lot was Lendzun's, but their past condition of servitude 
had not trained them to haul heavy loads of ammunition, and on this inarch 
they began to crack under the strain. One of them fell in the traces and 
in spite of continued urging from Lendzun, ably assisted by Lieutenant 
Tweedy, he could not regain his feet until the veterinarian came along with 
an injection of strychnine. Under the influence of a potent dose, the old 
fellow got to his feet and resumed marching, only to stumble into a deep 
shell-hole when we reached our destination that night. Even the customary 
skill in such matters of Sergeant French and Sergeant Pons failed in this 
emergency and the big black died of his exertions to extricate himself. The 
shell-hole became his grave and thus saved the "Dead Horse Brigade" next 
morning from an unpleasant detail. 

In the course of that evening's hike, we passed through the ruins of 
Sergy and across the Ourcq River, both places made famous a scant two 
weeks before by American divisions. At last, after passing over roads and 
through woods that seemed endless, we encamped in the Nesle Woods at 
about 2 :30 A. M. The picket line was stretched, the horses fed, and the 
carriages camouflaged, and then we all turned in entirely exhausted. The 
woods were very sweet-smelling and refreshing, after the vile odors of death 
and decay through which we had just been passing. We had been informed 
that this was the end of our hike, as the front lines were but five miles ahead, 
and under these pleasing conditions, we were all soon stretched out in sleep 
on the grass and moss under the large trees. 



[40] 




Chapter VI. 

THE VESLE SECTOR. 
August 15, 1918, to September 4, 1918. 

j|N T I0 of the remarkable facts in connection with a soldier's life is the 
power of recuperation he develops. Time and time again we have 
thought ourselves on the verge of exhaustion, and expending our 
last ounce of effort, yet, after a short period of rest, we have come 
back with a greater spirit of energy and push than we started with. And very 
pleasing have these short periods of rest heen. Like the convalescent, we have 
enjoyed the beauties and joys of life all the more for having been deprived of 
them. In the relaxation of these short periods, we have learned to enjoy the 
present instead of looking ahead toward the future. The three days we spent 
in these woods were one of these short periods of rest and recuperation, and 
were highly enjoyed by all of us. We wandered about and -explored the 
woods searching for souvenirs which the retreating Germans might have left 
behind. We forgpt the war for the time, and in true boyish spirit, found every- 
thing full of interest. 

Probably nothing else had heen so vividly and persistently impressed upon 
our minds during our training at Camp de Souge as the dangers of poisonous 
gases. It seemed that the Boche possessed an infinite variety of ways of tor- 
turing their enemies with these deadly fumes. When we reached our first 
active front, we were therefore inclined to expect gas from every mysterious 
source. That wicked sorcerer, "Gas Sergeant" Harknett, encouraged us in this 
belief, so that we would be more docile and obedient to his precautionary regu- 
lations, and also to put a little "pep" into the incessant gas-mask drills. A 
strong gas guard was posted each evening in the Nesle Woods, armed to the 
teeth with sirens and horns. The night we pulled into that camp, everyone 
was too tired to worry about gas, but the following evening we were all on the 
alert for it. 

Under cover of darkness all the horses in the Regiment were taken out 
to graze in a neighboring field. At about nine o'clock our ears caught the 
gruesome sound of Boche bombing planes approaching. We were cautioned 
to stand by the horses and remain motionless. Our hearts jumped into our 
throats as one of the planes descended very low and commenced to circle 
around just over our head. Suddenly the sky was lit up by a vivid flare 
dropped by the aviator, which also gave out rather dense fumes. Every sen 
tinel in the vicinity at once suspected that this was the latest Boche trick in 
gas warfare, and the sirens uttered their warning wails throughout the woods. 



[-H 




first gun position, Tesle Sector, looking 
south-cast to left of Clicfy Churtreuvc. 













v 

.' 


K ' JP 


I 








•>;' 


■» '^ 'C- 






1 1 


H 1 





smcA leading from road to first gun ii 

tion, Yesle Sector, Chery Chartrcuvc 

in background. 



Fifteen hundred men commenced frantic efforts to beat the six-second allow- 
ance to adjust their masks. Some of the drivers in their devotion to the 
"dogs" started to pot the horse masks on first, but as the dumb brutes did not 
appreciate their gallantry and struggled against it, the drivers reconsidered 
and adopted the "Sauve qui peut" attitude. Many of the horses taking frighl 
at the uncanny sight of their masked keepers, bolted. It took a half hour to 
corral them again. Meanwhile, a figure graced by a Sam Browne belt was 
seen dashing madly in the direction of camp, calling repeatedly, "Where is 
E Battery?" It was Captain Perin, who had come out for his evening stroll 
minus his gas mask. Contrary to expectations, the Boche avion dropped no 
further missiles and soon disappeared, leaving us to a hearty laugh over our 
first gas scare. This experience, however, keyed up the gas guards more than 
ever, with the result that for two nights we had no less than a dozen imaginary 
additional attacks. Our sleep was so frequently disturbed that most of us 
finally paid no attention to the sirens. Major Sanders was appointed Gas 
Marshal, with authority to arrest anyone giving a false alarm, and gradually 
the guards learned to differentiate between real and false attacks. 

Our sojourn in the Bois de Nesle came to an end all too soon. At ten 
o'clock in the night of August 15, the first two pieces, Sergeant Kuggiero's and 
Sergeant Velle's sections, with approximately thirty-five men, left for the 
front, aud here started our real war experiences. Many times on the road we 
heard the shrill, unearthly wail of the siren, warning us that enemy gas-shells 
were near, and causing us to put on our gas-masks. These were as necessary 
for the nauseating stench of dead and decaying horses as they were for gas 
itself. Added to these horrors of sound and smell, was a wild confusion of 
traffic all along the route, and especially at crossroads. Every carriage was in 
mad haste, but no one seemed to know where he was going. The shouts and 
curses of drivers, the rattling of the carriages, and the stamping of the horses 
added to the tumult and confusion. Here, indeed, was a contrast to the quiet 
and sweet-smelling woods which we had just left. 

After we left the main road, we turned into a wooded lane and slowly and 
cautiously made our way with enemy shells shrieking and bursting all around 
us, and with our own guns booming and banging away, to our first position, 
near Chery-Chartreuve. Here, midst the wildest confusion of sound — a nerve 
racking medley of gas sirens, whistling and bursting of shells, and ceaseless 



[42] 




Battery n "fox holes" on road in front of first position <tt Vcsle front. 

firing of our own guns — we unloaded the wagons and put the two guns Lnto 
position. We immediately took part in a barrage which was being tired. Un- 
acquainted as we were with the lay of the land and the conditions about us, 
we were dazed by all of this activity. Before we noticed it, the aighl was gone, 
and as da}' broke we could better see our surroundings. 

Our gun emplacement was in the middle of an open field, and the only 
concealment it had was a net of camouflage. Running from the road, which 
was a short distance away, in front of the guns, was a winding trench which 
led to the gun position. Adjoining the road was a block of woods, and under 
cover of the trees numerous fox-holes had been dug where some of our men who 
were not at the gun position took shelter. This strip of woods was on ground 
about two feet above the load and. in the bank caused by this elevation, numer- 
ous other holes had been burrowed, for the banks gave additional protection. 

That night, our two other guns. Sergeant Mayer's and Sergeant Grandin's 
sections, came up and we took over the entire position. The men secured their 
shelters as best they could, and work was dune in improving the emplacement. 
During the day, enemy aeroplanes were very active, and little tiring could 
be done by us without being observed. The enemy was not very active in his 
tiring until the afternoon of August IS, when he opened up on our position 
and forced us to take shelter in the dug-outs alongside of the road. The two 
days following, he continued his activity, sending over many gas. shrapnel 
and high-explosive shells, and directing tire with his aeroplanes. Time and 
again we were forced to abandon the emplacement and lake shelter in our 
holes. Gas masks were almost continuously worn, and if "('anal boat" Hark- 
nett was busy supervising the engineering work of constructing latrines at our 
later positions, he certainly was active yelling "(las!" here. Enemy aero- 



[43] 




Road above the first gun position 
Vesle Front. 



Ferme des Dames — P. C. of the 306th In- 
fantry near first gun position, Vesle sector. 



planes were continuously above us, while our own were as scarce as the hairs 
on "Uncle Henry's" head. Occasionally a plane bearing the "Allied" mark 
appeared, but acted so suspiciously that we all suspected that it was a German 
plane masquerading under our colors. 

All of this enemy activity came to a climax on August 21. About one 
o'clock in the morning, a very heavy shelling of the road in front of the posi- 
tion commenced. Every man was in the greatest danger as shell after shell 
exploded within a few yards of him. We crouched in the holes in the bank 
adjoining the road, with our gas masks on, and our uncomfortable positions 
made breathing exceedingly difficult. As the shells exploded nearby, they 
threw up a shower of dirt and rocks in all directions. This shelling contin- 
ued for a half hour and was renewed from time to time, but with less effect. 
About three o'clock in the afternoon an "Allied" plane appeared and circled 
suspiciously over the emplacement. A few minutes later, fire was opened up 
on us and shell after shell hit the road, while others went through the camou- 
flage covering the emplacement. Captain Mahon ordered that the position 
be abandoned, and everybody ran, taking the best shelter he could And. Almost 
everyone of us had been caught by the enemy gas shells, causing a burning 
and irritating sensation in our eyes, noses and throats. We hurriedly adjusted 
our gas masks as we ran, but the stifling and suffocating sensation in our 
throats made breathing impossible, so that despite the gas, we removed masks 
and ran without them. For the next half hour, we crouched under trees and 
in holes, while the steady and even buzz of the aeroplane was heard above in 
marked contrast to the irregular thumping of our hearts. Gradually the shell- 
ing died down, and as darkness came on, we gathered one by one at the 
kitchen in the woods where hot coffee was served to us. Several men were 
slightly gassed and had to return to the echelon that night. "Moe" Weiss- 
berger was among those gassed, and no doubt it was here that he earned one 
of the three citations for gallantry which the New York newspapers men- 
tioned. 

After supper we returned to the gun position, where word soon came 
down that we were going to fire two hundred and eighty gas-shells that night, 
in retaliation for the gassing we had received. A detail of men arrived from 
the echelon to carry ammunition to the guns. After the thrilling events of 
the day, a great nervous strain was felt evervwhere. The detail worked hm- 



[44] 



riedly, carrying the gas-shells from the road, down the winding trench to the 
guns. Everyone was in suspense, for it was feared that the enemy would 
open up on us again before we could commence firing. At last all prepara- 
tions were completed and "Bang!" went the first shell, with an angry roar. 
All the guns were soon in full swing, and shell after shell sailed through the 
air towards the enemy. The cannoneers worked with a vim and sent greetings 
and blessings for the Boche along with every projectile. For the first time 
their blood was really up. The Hun had made an effort, almost successful, 
to get their lives by this very means, and now he was getting a dose of his 
own medicine. Each shell we sent over seemed to be an answer to one which 
we had received. 

After the firing was completed, the guns were hurriedly drawn out to 
nearby woods, and dummy guns, made of wood, were set up under the camou- 
flage. We were all totally exhausted and worn out from the strain of the past 
few days. Though the firing had ceased, the din was still ringing in our ears. 
We were all in a sort of stupor. There had been one continuous round of 
excitement for the past twenty-four hours and now it all seemed so unreal. 
The emplacement was entirely abandoned and the men gathered one by one 
under the cover of the woods adjoining the road. The new day was breaking 
in the East, and slowly the sun rose over the nearby hills. After this night 
of mad din and nervous excitement, it seemed as though we were emerging 
from a horrible nightmare into beautiful, peaceful sunshine. 

We were able to sleep most of the day for the enemy seemed to have been 
cpiieted by our fire. The following day, however, we were disillusioned, for 
the shells started coining over as fast as ever. The Germans seemed to have 
discovered our messing schedule, for whenever we prepared to have a meal, 
they scattered us. The Captain had his own difficulties in this direction. 
Monaco, his orderly, could not be found. Finally, at the end of the day, 
after the Captain had had to serve himself all day, Monaco slowly and 
cautiously emerged from his dugout. He was hailed before the Captain, who 
asked him if he wanted to see him die of starvation. "What's a matter, Capi- 
taine? You no hear the shelling?" asked Monaco. "Of course I heard it; 
of course I heard it," answered the Captain. "What about it? What about 
it?" "Well, Capitaine, you wanta Monaco die?" There was no answering 
this conclusive argument, so the Captain had to continue getting his meals as 
best he could. 

In the afternoon of that day, August '2'.), we suffered our first losses. An 
ammunition detail was carrying shells from the woods to the gun position, 
when a heavy hostile shelling commenced. Vannini, Bryant and Kalf took 
shelter behind an old aeroplane nearby. A shell struck the gasoline tank and 
caused a tremendous explosion. Vannini and Bryant were terribly burned 
as well as torn by shell splinters and both died at the first-aid station. Kalf, 
badly burned and wounded, was taken to the hospital, where he died a few 
days later. The news of these casualties had a very depressing effect. War- 
fare had a new meaning for us all. A burying detail dug two graves, side 
by side, about one hundred meters from the Farm des Dames. Wrapped up 
in their blankets, our dead comrades were laid at rest. Two rude wooden 
crosses marked their simple burial places. 



[45] 




Aeroplane near battery position near Chcry Chaiireuvc under which Bryant, Kalf and 
Yannini were mortally wounded. 

The first casualties were always the most vivid reminders of war's stem 
realities. Now we were ready for anything. The enemy continued his activ- 
ities for the next week, but we now regarded it as part of our daily life, and 
only the very unusual would disturb us. In addition, we all felt secure in the 
knowledge that prayers were being offered up daily for us. There was "Paddy" 
Curnan, usually under the shelter of the largest tree in the vicinity, with a 
little prayer-book in his hand, beseeching the good Lord to "bliss us all." 
The Lord, however, whether he was blessing us or not, didn't seem to be very 
much interested in filling up the water wagon, nor was "Paddy," so it usually 
remained empty. This has been ascribed to the fact that "Paddy" didn't like 
water as a thirst quencher. 

During this entire period, our echelon had been maintained in the Nesle 
Woods. Every night, ammunition and food supplies were brought up by the 
drivers, under the able charge of Sergeants French, Von Pless and "Pop" 
Munday, and Corporals McDonough and Schwab. This was no easy task, for 
the I'oads were almost constantly under shell fire, and the way had to be 
carefully picked; and much credit was due to all these men for their aid in 
this important work. Special details, such as digging details, usually accom- 
panied the wagons when they came up, and one night, as a member of such a 
detail, Joe Hornung appeared. The enemy sent over a few shells to greet him, 
and Joe ducked for the nearest hole. His head came in forcible contact with 
the corner of the hole and he was "knocked out" for the rest of the war. In 
this heroic manner, he also earned a wound stripe. Joe has since been making 
a special study of the hospital system of the American Army, and seems to 
have found is very satisfactory, for he has spent most of his time in the 
hospitals. 



[46] 













IK**! 












. 


r 


















"~ < " , x. j 






Hfcr^- * 


•*-*"*^i 1 , .-•- j 







oiil Battery I! position on Vesle — used later 

hit Battery h detached piece where 

Sat. Weinhauer was mortally wounded. 




New Cemetery nmr Chery Chartreuve^-ti 

which the graves of many 304 /■'. I. men havt 

been transferred. 



It was just about this time that Lieutenant Tweedy was taken from the 
battery for assignment with Battery V. During liis first day of duty with 
them, llic gun position was heavily shelled during a period of firing. One 
gun-crew was nearly wiped out and Lieutenant Tweedy was seriously wounded. 

On September 3rd, the enemy commenced a very intense artillery fire. 
Three of our pieces had been removed from the original location to a position 
inside of the woods. The other piece under Sergeant George Weinhauer was 
placed in an abandoned gun position, from which Battery B had been shelled 
out a week before. The shells started landing very close to Winhauer's piece, 
and he, with splendid presence of mind, immediately ordered his crew to leave 
the emplacement. He gallantly remained behind to unfuse some, shells which 
otherwise would have been a source of danger, and was caught by the enemy 
fire. Several large shell fragments struck him and fatally wounded him. An 
ambulance was summoned and carried him to the hospital. As a result of 
these wounds, he died there, September <>th, sincerely mourned by his coin 
rades. In a short time he had risen from a Private to a Sergeant and was one 
of the most popular non-commissioned officers in the battery. Even the "buck" 
privates agreed that though he was a Sergeant, he was a "regular fellow." 
Mis brave action was commemorated shortly afterward in General Orders. 

The next day, the reason for the heavy shelling became apparent. The 
observers reported that the Boche were in retreat, and as was his usual 
custom, he had shot up all of his reserve ammunition instead of leaving it 
behind. We made up our rolls and packs and were prepared to start as soon 
as the order lo advance came. It arrived in the late afternoon. The horses 
and limbers were brought op from the echelon, and as soon as darkness came 
on, we pulled out of our position in 1 i i j^li spirits, and started on our first 
advance. 



[47] 




Vesle Valley showing Basoches in background. 

Chapter VII. 

ADVANCING TO THE AISNE RIVER. 
September 4, 1918, to September 14, 1918. 




T has often been represented that the first sight of the gory horrors 
of a battlefield has filled the soldier with such a horror and disgust 
that it has turned him sick and affected him mentally for the rest 
of his life. As we crossed the Vesle River, on the morning of Sep- 
tember 5, after a night of hard hiking, and, in the light of the breaking day, 
saw stretched out on both sides of the road, many corpses of both Germans 
and Americans, no such distressing effect was noticeable to us. Perhaps 
the rapid succession of events and impressions which had been crowded into 
our lives for the past month had rendered us callous to new emotions; or 
the idea of death had no horrors for those whose business it was to inflict 
death. So we marched by these many corpses, stretched out stark in the 
final postures which they had taken in their attempts to ward off death, and 
viewed their faces, already black with corruption, with astonishing lack of 
concern. Many men, who in civil life would have grown faint at the sight 
of blood, now looked upon the bloody horrors of recent violent death unaffected, 
to their own surprise. 

The roads we were marching over had been completely shattered by our 
own artillery fire. For the first time we saw, close at hand, the results of 
our own work, and there was no doubt that it had been very effective. Almost 
all of the giant poplar trees, lining the Kouen-Eheims highroad, had had the 
upper half of the trunk blasted off by our shells. The villages inside of the 
enemy lines had been even more effectively destroyed than those we had seen in 
ruins from enemy fire. 

After traversing the wreckage of the former town of Bazoches, we went 
into position on the crest of a large hill, overlooking the town. We had 
barely time to snatch a bite of our reserve rations, when the order to move 
ahead again came. Under a very hot sun, and in almost exhausted condi- 
tion, we hiked for several hours until we reached a deep gully near Perles. 



[48] 




Omii-ni irithin thr (!< 



Ruins of Bazt 



recently held by the Germans. The guns were put into position just off the 
road and immediately started firing. The men dug into the sides of the gully, 

and fixed up shelters there. After a few hours, the f 1 was brought up and 

we hungrily devoured the "gold tish" which the meal consisted of. There was 
very little firing that night, and we were all able to get a good and much 
needed night's sleep. The following day. our guns were not very active, and 
we had an opportunity to shave and clean up in the clear spring which ran 
through the nearby town of I'erles. 

At midnight, we left this position to go further forward. We had gone 
but several hundred meters up the road, when the threatening buzz of a Ger- 
man bombing-plane was heard. Of all the sounds of warfare, this was one 
of the most uncanny. There was a treacherous calmness, a regularity and 
an evenness to its low buzz which was in contrast to the emotions it pro- 
duced, and the work it was bent on. As soon as the sound was heard, our 
carriages were halted and all movement on the road was stopped. In a few 
moments, a light was dropped from the plane, near the gully, and remained 
suspended in the air. It luridly lit up the sky and set off the outline of the 
objects below in a ghostly light. A tremendous crash followed, and the bomb 
exploded nearby, throwing up a heavy shower of dirt and rocks. This was 
followed by two similar explosions. Then the light gradually faded, and the 
buzz became more and more indistinct as the plane moved away. The bombs 
had struck a barn nearby, injuring one man from Battery P. We moved 
ahead, as soon as the danger was over, and arrived in a short while at our 
new position. Two guns went into position in an old German emplacement 
on the side of a sunken road. The other two were placed a few hundred 
meters forward, and to the left of the first two, in an open field. The tele- 
phone wires were laid, everything carefully camouflaged, and all details taken 
care of, so that there would be no unnecessary activity during the day, for 
the enemy balloons would have us under observation as soon as daylight came 
on. The men dug into the banks of the road, and before long, everyone had 
his own hole — his modest haven of rest, shelter and protection. 

The next few days there was little activity on either side. The enemy, 
however, always seemed to hold a few shells in reserve for the uninitiated, 
and when Propp came up from the echelon, with some underwear for the men, 
they sent over a few to remind him that a war was on. Ellis didn't at all 
like the sound of these, and was rather anxious to start back. He handed 



[t'.l] 




The "sunlcenroad" position on the Aisne plateau near Vauxcere. 

out shirt after shirt, regardless of size. To Corporal Jacobson, who wore 
a 36, he gave a 42. "Jake" protested, insisting it was too large. "Oh, it's all 
right, it's all right," answered Propp, "it'll shrink, it'll shrink." The next man 
on line was Dyer, who wore a i'2. Propp handed him a 36. Dyer insisted 
that it was too small. "Oh, it's all right, it's all right," again responded 
Propp, "it'll stretch, it'll stretch." After a half hour of nervous suspense, 
Propp returned to the echelon. The underwear, however, was not found to 
be as elastic as his gait, which shrunk as he approached the front, and 
stretched out as he left it. 

The weather had become extremely disagreeable, and it was raining con- 
tinually. The road became a quagmire, and the holes in which we slept were 
wet and uncomfortable. There was but little activity on our part, and we had 
most of the time to ourselves; but we would much rather have been kept con- 
stantly occupied, for, with nothing to do, our attention was directed to our- 
selves. In civil life, with time on our hands, we had had some place to go to, 
and when the weather was disagreeable and uncomfortable, we had had some 
place where we could go for shelter. Here we had two alternatives: either 
we could remain out in the disagreeable weather taking it as it came, or we 
could crawl into a wet hole in the ground and lie there. We could not sit lip 
for the holes were usually not high enough. We could not remove our wet 
clothes, for we had no dry ones to put on, and we dared not remain undressed, 
for who knew at what moment either the enemy or we ourselves would become 
active. These miserable conditions caused us to be very low in spirit. An 
epidemic of diarrhcea went the rounds, and added to our suffering. We felt our 
utter misery for the first time. 

Our spirits were not improved by the events at that time. On the morn- 



50] 




shelter nt battery position n 



ing of September lllth, while seated in a dugout, under a covering of heavy 
elephant iron, Privates Lincoln, Pessalano and McDevitt were struck by an 
enemy shell, which made a direct hit through the top of the dugout. Lincoln 
ami Pessalano were instantly killed; McDevitt was so seriously wounded that 
he died the next day in the hospital. On that miserable morning, with the 
rain pouring down, a small burying detail gathered iu the field adjoining 
the road, and laid these two courageous comrades of ours at rest in the wet 
ground. Lincoln had just been recommended for appointment as a Corporal, 
in recognition of his brave and excellent service. Pessalano and McDevitt 
had been continuously at the front, gallantly sharing all hardships and 
dangers with us. All three of them were of the best liked among us, and 
it was with feelings of deep regret and with tears that we saw the wet ground 
cover them, and the wooden crosses put up to mark their graves. 

In addition to the loss of these men, other changes had taken place in 
the personnel of the battery. Sergeant Mayer had lefl for Officers' Training 
School. Lieutenant Eberstadt had been commissioned a Captain and was 
assigned to Battery F, and Lieutenant Thomas had accompanied him. Lieu- 
tenants Amy and Egan had been assigned to our battery to fill these 
vacancies. 

The Observer's Detail, consisting of Corporal Croy, Privates Freeman, 
Lyons, Tansey, Taylor, Thacker and Ward, with Corporal Miller in charge, 
were, all this time, doing very dangerous and useful work in supplying us with 
information as to the activities of the enemy. By the very nature of their 
duties, they had to be further forward than the rest of us. They had all become 
experts in climbing trees anil maintaining their holds there, while shells 



[51] 




Graves of Lincoln and Pessalano, Aisne sector 
near "sunken road" position. 



went whistling bj r them in the air. At the Vesle Front, they had seen a Lieu- 
tenant and a Corporal of the 306th F. A. shot down from a nearby tree, 
where they were observing, and killed; but our detail resolutely continued 
its work. As their duties covered both observing work at the forward Obser- 
vation Posts, and liaison with the "pirate pieces," most of their time was 
spent with advanced infantry detachments. Separated as they were from the 
battery, they had to subsist entirely on "Corned Bill," and for this alone they 
deserved a Croix de Guerre. 

One day, when "Bennie" Freeman was at the advanced horse lines at 
Perles, after some very strenuous observing work, his eyes and thoughts turned 
yearningly to the echelon near Bazoches where he could picture delicious 
"flapjacks" covered with "jellapo" being prepared by such culinary artists as 
Brotz and "Louie" Apicella. The thought made Bennie's mouth water and 
he revolved in his fertile red head many a scheme which would bring about 
his return to the echelon. Looking around, he saw a powerful, vicious- 
looking stallion tied to a tree nearby. Bennie hurried over and invited a 
kick, but the brute refused to comply with his request. Bennie mounted him, 
pulled his tail, tickled his ribs, and tried in many ways to establish contact 
between the animal's hoofs and some part of his person, but the old "dog" had 
suddenly developed a fondness for him, and was as gentle as a lamb. Corporal 
Miller soon came along, and Bennie, much discouraged, had to return with 
him to the Observation Post. 

On September 12th, Captain Mahon decided that a change of position was 
desirable, and preparations were made to move out as soon as darkness came 
on. When the hour to move came, however, the enemy started sending over 
a choice collection of 150's and we had to take to our holes. A very heavy 
shelling continued for some time, the shells landing dangerously close. It 
became so hot that the two forward pieces had to be temporarily abandoned. 
Corporal Rucker, who was with these pieces when the shelling commenced, 
was struck in the thumb with a shell splinter, resulting in his being sent to 
the hospital, and earning for him a wound stripe. Several of the dugouts 
in the banks of the road were wrecked by shells. The one occupied by Corpo- 
rals Ostermann and Glass received a direct hit through its roof, entirely 
wrecking it, and destroying all of their belongings. They, fortunately, were 
not in it at the time, and so were unharmed. 



[52] 




'ft - 



i • -ri .-'• 1 




in Vesle River in foreground. 



Mil in Street, Fi, 



After much excitement and nervousness, the guns were finally moved 
to the new position in the early morning'. The Telephone Detail, the Machine 
Gunners, and Corporal Aigeltinger, with Lieutenant Amy in charge, were left 
behind to take up the wires, the machine guns and the equipment which had 
been left behind. It was Friday, the 13th, now, aud the day started in a way to 
justify the fears of the most superstitious. As daylight came on, a heavy 
bombardment started, and the shells were landing directly in the road. Sev- 
eral projectiles went through the camouflage covering the Telephone Central, 
which was entirely in the open in this position. The danger became greater. 
At last, Lieutenant Amy found it necessary to abandon the position, and 
ordered the men to run. Dodging the shells, they ran, only to find, when 
they reached the open fields, that they were in additional danger from the 
high-velocity "whizz-bangs" which were coming over from the flank. They 
all reached the new position, however, in safety, and found the battery already 
established there. Our position here was about two hundred meters from 
an abandoned German gun position. There was a long system of deep and 
substantial trenches, into the sides of which enough holes had been burrowed 
near the new position to accommodate all of the men, for sleeping purposes. 
While these holes were damp and uncomfortable, nevertheless, they afforded 
excellent protection. 

During the day enemy aeroplanes were very active and circled almost 
directly above the position. Many gas shells were sent over by the enemy, 
hut no damage was done. There was very much talk about our being relieved, 
hut we had heard this rumor so often that it was hard to believe. 

In the morning of September 14th we supported the French on our right 
with a heavy barrage. Many aeroplanes and balloons were in the sky as day 
broke. Our guns continued firing for hours, and the cannoneers worked up 
to the point of exhaustion. Relief gun-crews were sent up from the echelon, 
and they took over the work. The strain was telling on every one. It seemed 
to us all that we could not last much longer. 

That night, the welcome news of relief came. An Italian division was 
to relieve us. We packed up our equipment, drew in our telephone lines, and 
at midnight, pulled out of the position. The advance echelon joined us near 
I'erles, and we moved ahead at a rapid pace. Enemy shells were coming 
over, but none came dangerously close until we reached Fismes. The roads 
approaching this town were badly congested. There was the utmost confusion. 



[53] 



with Italian, French and American troops, all striving for the right-of-way, 
and our carriages had to be halted until this was in some measure straightened 
out. At this juncture, the buzz of a bombing-plane was heard, and soon all 
of this wild mass of traffic was in full view as a flare, dropped from the plane, 
lit up the sky. Several bombs crashed with a terrific noise nearby. The need 
for immediate movement from this dangerous position became apparent, and 
in a few moments the column started moving hurriedly forward. As we 
passed through the shattered ruins of Fismes, almost on the run, high-velocity 
shells started coining over. After having survived a front which had been 
replete with dangers from the very moment of our entry into it, we did not 
fancy cashing in now, at the last moment, with relief in sight. The "wiz-z — 
b-a-n-g!" of these shells did not help to reassure us. They descended so speedily 
upon us that they seemed to come from nowhere, as their unearthly screech 
was suddenly heard. Fortunately, most of them were "duds," and though 
they landed very close to us, did no damage. 

As we got out of this danger-zone and reached the open fields, where 
enemy shells no longer bothered us, we felt a sense of relief. Every step 
took us further away from the horrors and dangers which we had been 
experiencing continually for the past month. That ever-present strain was 
gradually being lifted from us, and the feeling of lightness and freedom which 
its removal caused was exhilarating. 

Despite a night of continued and hurried hiking, the morning found us 
cheerful and happy. It was such a relief to be able to march along in the 
open sunshine without feeling that enemy eyes were constantly upon us ready 
to have our lives the moment our attention was the least bit relaxed. And 
the sights seemed so strange and interesting. It was odd to see houses intact, 
and occupied by women and children. At the front, we had seen only men 
in uniform, and the sight, now, of civilian clothes, and of women and children, 
was another pleasing indication that we were going back to the ways of civili- 
zation for a short time at least. 

At eight o'clock that morning, we pitched camp in the Bois de Meuniere, 
through which American divisions had sent the Boche scurrying in their 
flight from the Ourcq to the Vesle. Although there were many shell-holes on 
every hand, the pursuit had been sufficiently fast to prevent the usual sicken- 
ing odors of the battlefield from permeating our present camp. Instead of 
digging into the ground for shelter, as at the front, we pitched our shelter 
tents on the grass underneath the big trees. "Mike" Dichich and his assist- 
ants soon had our own home fires burning in full blaze, and an excellent 
meal was in preparation, while we washed and shaved, and laid out our 
blankets in preparation for a restful night's sleep. 



[54] 




Chapter VIII. 

GOING INTO THE ARGONNE FOREST. 
September 15-24, 1918. 



j|X the days of Indian warfare, the warrior painted himself in a 
hideous manner, so as to strike terror into the heart of his oppo- 
nent by his horrible appearance. In modern warfare the opponent 
is rarely seen, and when he does come to view there is nothing par- 
ticularly hideous about his appearance. The horrors of sight in modern war- 
fare have not been developed in the individual equipment. This is not true, 
however, of the horrors of sound. Blood-curdling though the war-cry of the 
Indian may have been, it was a mild horror in comparison with the sound of 
the modern battlefield. The ominous buzz of the bombing-plane has been 
already described. There is also the angry rattle of the machine guns and the 
cold metallic swish of the sniper's bullet as it cuts the air. The most horrify- 
ing of all, however, is the sound of shells as they approach through the air and 
burst. The high explosive and shrapnel shells when they are first heard 
start with a low wail and develop very rapidly into an unearthly screech. 
When the shell is to burst nearby, this screech comes to its maximum overhead, 
and then there is a sudden terrifying swoop downward as the shell strikes 
and bursts with a terrific explosion. The gas-shell, though similar in sound, 
has a lighter but more treacherous wail and ends up in a muffled explosion, 
similar to the sound of a "dud." These noises are usually accompanied by the 
boom and roar of nearby guns, and the total result is the symphony of the 
modern battlefield — a medley of fear-inducing and horrifying sounds. 

As we turned in on our first night away from the front, in the Hois de 
Meuniere none of these nerve-racking sounds were heard. Instead could be 
heard the laughter and songs of the men as they squatted in groups around 
their "pup" tents, singing their favorite melodies. There was a great feeling 
of peace and quiet as they relaxed and rested under a heaven dotted with 
bright stars. Smoking was allowed and it was a strange sight to see the lights 
of the cigarettes about in the darkness; a sight which we had never seen at 
the front, for it might have meant death to us there. 

After a restful and undisturbed night's sleep we were beginning to antici- 
pate a pleasant stay in the woods, when we were informed the next morning 
that we would move that night. Accordingly we started out at eight o'clock. 
The men were allowed to smoke during rests, and conditions were much better 
than they had ben on marches at the front. After midnight, while we were 
hiking along a wide road, lined with tall trees, a wind, rain and electric 



[55] 



storm arose. The men presented strange figures in the darkness, with the 
gale blowing their slickers about their forms as they trod on with their packs 
in the heavy rain. Every now and then a streak of lightning would illuminate 
the surroundings. The wind whistled and howled through the trees. The 
horses became unruly and the drivers had all they could do to hold them in 
check. The storm subsided after a while, and when, at four A. M. we 
reached our destination, Chene la Reine, it was clear. We pitched camp 
in a pretty spot along a. winding brook. 

Here we remained until the following evening. During the day many 
of us bathed in the brook and changed our underclothes. The Commissary 
was opened up by "Moe" Weissberger, who dispensed candy, cookies and 
smokes, all at a reasonable figure. There was enough to go around and every- 
one was soon satisfying a sweet tooth which had long been neglected. "Oiving" 
Klesmer gathered a group around him and soon had a vaudeville show of his 
own in full swing. 

Opening up with "B' , fellers, I was goin' t' buy cigarettes fer the 

fellers, but B' , I forgot," he gained the sympathy of his audience at once. 

He then told of the days when, as a conductor on the New York street-cars, 

he had ''gypped'' the company. "B' , fellers, when I finished up the day, 

the President of the Company thanked me fer bringing the car back." He 
then introduced that popular New York song success, "When It's Peach-Jam 
Making Time." Wiggling his graceful person and rolling his eyes he sang 
this with a syncopation entirely original. The audience joined in the chorus 
and "Oiving's" show was soon a roaring success. 

At nightfall the cannoneers and telephone detail departed on trucks with 
all their equipment. They rode all night, arriving in the morning at Braux- 
St. Remy, a small village near St. Menehold, where they were billeted in an 
old sheep shed, together with similar details from the other batteries of the 
regiment. The total population of the village was 144. These were the first 
American troops to be billeted in the town and consequently the few inhabit 
ants did not know of the demand for "pommes de terres" which would arise 
upon their arrival, and were unprepared. The rations didn't come up for some 
time, so when they did arrive they were devoured greedily, even though they 
consisted of "gold-fish" and hard tack. 

During the three days that we remained at Braux, the rations consisted 
almost entirely of "Corned Willy," and the men found it necessary to engage 
some meals in private houses. Many dinner parties were formed, and chief 
among these was the one presided over by our only representative from Portu- 
gal, the illustrious Antonio Joachim Simas. The party consisted of several 
French soldiers, several mademoiselles, and several poor "Americains sol- 
dats." Joachim, with a wit, wisdom and eloquence which has always distin- 
guished him, made this table the intellectual center of the town. The slander- 
ous tongue of the jealous had suggested that it was the mademoiselles who were 
drawing him nightly to this house, but let it be said once and for all that it 
was rather his love for that most delicious of all culinary preparations — roast 
rabbit — that was the cause of his presence every night. And upon the rabbit 
hangs the tale of Joachim's financial undoing. 

On the night of September 20th, Joachim had just completed a tasty meal, 



[56] 



and, content in body and spirit was returning to the billets. He had left his 
last fifteen francs with one of the mademoiselles for the purchase and prepara- 
tion of a rabbit for the following evening. He was already picturing the table 
spread for the meal, and the thought of the delicately browned meat, floating 
around in a delicious gravy, was causing an excessive flow of his saliva. 
Suddenly his deep meditations were disturbed by the rude sound of a bugle. 
Joachim hastened to the billets to find everyone with pack rolled ready to 
move out. He had barely time to roll his own before starting on the march 
and he had to reluctantly leave behind his fifteen francs, taking with him in 
place of them the dream of a roast rabbit which might have been. 

We hiked most of the night and pitched camp in an orchard on the other 
side of St. Menehold, where we remained for the next three days. Food con- 
ditions continued to be poor as rations were slow in coining up. Klesmer, 
however, helped out in this emergency. He "salvaged" several bushels of 
potatoes from a nearby field, requisitioned a frying-pan from a farm-house, 
and was soon frying potatoes "fer th' boys'* at one franc per mess-kit. After 
Irving had sold out his stock, thus adding many francs to his possessions, he 

said, "B' , fellers, I was glad to do it fer th' boys — I'm always glad to 

help th' boys out." 

On the night of September 23rd, we were lined up on the road to await 
the arrival of the rest of the battery, who had been covering on foot the ground 
that the trucks had carried us over. The weather had been extremely disagree- 
able, and after forced day and night marches, they had to turn in on wet and 
muddy ground. Due to the efforts of Sergeant French and "Bob" Freedman in 
providing "extras" the meals had been excellent and this had helped ease the 
strain of the trip. Nevertheless, they were "all in" from lack of sleep and rest. 
and were glad to hear that their destination would be reached that night. 

At H) :30 they arrived. The cannoneers took their places behind their 
respective pieces, and the telephone men behind the telephone wagon. With 
the battery again complete, the march was resumed. The spirits of everybody 
were raised by the reunion as greetings were exchanged, and the members 
of the two groups "swopped" experiences with each other. 

After hours of hiking we pulled into very beautiful country. We had 
just climbed a succession of hills and attained quite an altitude. Tall trees 
lined the splendid Paris to Metz highroad over which we were travelling. 
Benches were laid out under the trees and overlooked the valleys which lay on 
both sides of the road. It seemed like a beautiful parkway. Light mists had 
settled in the valleys, giving the impression of beautiful lakes. Further off 
could be seen the dark outline of woods. The air was fresh and invigorating. 
The setting was so beautiful and so different from what it had been at our 
last front that it was difficult to realize that any fighting could be going on 
nearby. Though we now knew that we were returning to some part of the 
front, we pictured it as being some quiet, restful, sylvan dell, where we could 
breathe the fresh mountain air and recuperate from our recent hardships. 

The combat train left us at Le Claon, where the Echelon was to be estab 
lished. while the firing battery continued on the march. We passed infantry 
from the 40th division going in as replacements for our own division. As 
they were all Western boys and "Rookies," we as old veterans gave them a few 



pointers about the front. We soon reached La Chalade. Here we met our 
guide, "Bennie" Freeman, who directed us up a very steep path to our right. 
The horses had a difficult pull and it took all the remaining energy of both 
them and the drivers to get the guns up, after their many days of hard travel. 
After continued climbing we came into an excellent road running through a 
heavy evergreen forest. As we proceeded we almost bumped into the muzzles 
of many large naval guns which were already in position. A regiment of 
8-inch howitzers was going into position and the large guns with their tractors 
were still lined up on the road. 

At last we pulled into our own position, which was iu the woods, only a 
few yards off the road. The guns were immediately laid by Lieutenant Richard 
and the usual net of camouflage spread over them. Corporal Levins and Chief 
Mechanic Philpot put on the final touches, so that when daylight came our 
arrival would not be apparent to the eyes of enemy fliers. When this was 
completed we tumbled off to sleep in the surrounding woods, with the feeling 
of satisfaction derived from a job well done. 



[58] 




Chapter IX. 

THE ARGONNE. 
September 24th to October 18th, 1918. 



llN'E of the main advantages of having an army made up of young 
men is the fact that it is so much easier to maintain a hopeful 
morale in a youthful army than in one of older men. When faced 
with two probabilities as to the course which future events might 
take, one pleasant and the other unpleasant, the natural tendency of healthy 
youth is to believe in the cheerful probability. Optimism is so natural to the 
young soldier that one who accepts the unpleasant probability is usually 
called "Calamity" or "Gloom," or some other name indicating his pessimism. 
This trait persists despite frequent disappointments. When we had left Camp 
de Souge we were faced with the probability of going to another training-camp 
or going to the front. We believed we were going to another Tamp, but soon 
found ourselves on the Lorraine front. When we had left the Lorraine front, 
we believed we were going to Italy or the Philippines, where we could sport 
campaign hats and dress shoes, but instead we landed at the Vesle front. Now, 
after being disappointed in our hope that we were going to a rest camp, we 
adopted the belief that we were going into a quiet, inactive sector where we 

could recuperate in the midst of w Hand charms, but were soon again disillu 

sionized. We were in the Argonne Forest and a tremendous drive was soon to 
commence. 

The Argonne is made up of a series of parallel ridges covered with 
heavy woods, chiefly pine and hemlock. Deep valleys intervene between these 
ridges. Our position was on the crest of one of these, while the enemy was 
strongly fortified on the ridges ahead of us, where he had had four years to 
render his position secure. Our own artillery was so greatly concentrated 
here that for kilometres gnus adjoined guns, frequently with no more than 10 
metres between them. The entire 2nd Battalion of our regiment was placed 
on a front of 100 metres. On our division front more than 200 pieces of artil- 
lery were placed. One could walk along and see on both sides of the road 
battery after battery, both French and American, of every size and description. 
And on the wooded ridge to our rear there was a similar concentration. 

On the rear slope of our ridge were numerous trenches and dugouts all 
well prepared and fortified, in which our men took shelter. Further down 
the slope there were dugouts elaborately fitted with shower-baths and other 
conveniences, which the French had used during the past three years while 
there had been practically no activity here. A drive through these heavy 



[59] 




Site of First Battery D position- in Argonne 
Forest, September 26th, 1918. 



woods and over these steep ridges had up to now been considered practically 
impossible. Many of the French soldiers who knew the sector from experience 
expressed great astonishment at the idea of launching an attack against such 
defences with winter approaching. 

The day following our arrival was clear aud sunshiny, and the air very 
invigorating. There was a busy stir everywhere as trees were being sawed 
through to make firing possible. Telephone lines were being laid and camou- 
flage was being perfected. Everybody had his own job and everyone was 
doing it cheerfully. The sight of the tremendous concentration of guns and 
the feeling that we were going to "pull off" something big on the enemy, who 
from his inactivity seemed to be entirety unsuspecting, had filled us with con- 
fidence and a new enthusiasm. The old dreams of a sector of quietness and rest 
had been entirely forgotten, and we were all eager for the fireworks to start. 
Sergeant Aigeltinger and Corporal Stuart with a large detail and every avail- 
able G. S. wagon worked furiously day and night bringing up every round of 
ammunition which they could beg, borrow or steal. As a result of their efforts 
the respectable total of 3,000 rounds was accumulated at the battery dump. 

Every precaution was being taken to keep the enemy in ignorance as to 
the presence of Americans there. Our men who worked in positions where 
they might be observed were required to wear French uniforms. After the 
telephone lines had been laid no conversation was permitted over them for 
fear that enemy amplifiers might pick up some English word and so learn of 
our presence. 

On the evening of. September 25th we were informed that the big show 
was coming off that night. Most of the trees were still standing, although 
they had been sawed through, so that it would take only a few additional 
strokes of the axe to fell them. As the guns were located in a dense part of 
the forest it meant that hundreds of big trees must be levelled before a shot 
could be fired. Under cover of darkness the final chopping commenced. Under 
the skillful strokes of such craftsmen as Fhilpot, Price, Simonson, Pfaff, 
Downes, Beglan, Heller, and Walters the giant trees were soon crashing to 
earth. We waited with eagerness for the hour to commence firing to add our 
boost to the smash which, with our usual optimism, we felt sure would be the 
final one. At midnight the guns to our left started firing, and shortly after- 
wards the "heavies'' began, with their resonant boom, shelling the enemv 



[60] 




rear areas. Our firing schedule began at '2::W A. M., and then the big noise 
started. Every gun, big and little, French and American, was soon booming 
and banging and barking away at the enemy, and the grand medley of noises 
was music to our ears. For three hours we kept up harassing tire on German 
lines of communication. At r>:.">ll o'clock, the "zero" hour for the infantry 
attack, we laid down a rolling barrage at the rate of three rounds per gun 
per minute. We kept this up at varying rates of speed until noon. 

The morning had dawned clear and agreeable. The valley was tilled with 
smoke from the firing and the air was full of the smell of powder. Lines of 
Boche prisoners were being brought in. and as we curiously scrutinized them 
they did not seem to be as formidable as we, in imagination, had pictured 
them. They were for the most part old men, and seemed to Jie a docile and 
cringing lot. The divisions facing us in this sector at the beginning of the 
drive were mostly Landwehr and Reserve Troops. 

News came in over the wire that the infantry was making splendid 
progress through the numerous roads of barbed-wire entanglements and trench 
systems. The preliminary bombardments had smashed these up considerably 
and the dense rolling barrage had made the few remaining Boche front-line 
troops take cover in their deep dug-outs. Here they were found by the "dough- 
boys," who either took them prisoner or finished them with hand-grenades, 
depending on whether the detached groups had any tight left in them or not. 

By evening we learned that all of our objectives had been attained and 
that the infantry was still advancing, so we were not surprised when the 
order came to move out. At midnight we started. We had to descend the 
steep ridge on which we were, and ascend the one in front of us, and it needed 
all the skill of our drivers to accomplish this in the inky darkness. Time and 
again the carriages were stuck, but Sergeant French or Corporal Schwab 
were soon around, and with the assistance of the cannoneers on the wheels 
the difficulty was quickly straightened out. 

We arrived at our new position, designated on the French maps as Sepl 
Fontaines, in the early morning and were soon tiring. The enemy did not 
bark back at all, and we had no occasion to seek protection in the long system 
of (ihris which were constructed in the slope of the ridge to the rear of our 
guns, though we did use them for sleeping purposes. At noon "Louie" Api- 
cella, "Charlie" (lever and "Izzie" Schwartz, who had accompanied us on the 
advance, had mess ready, and wonder of all wonders, we had home-made apple 



[61] 




No Man's Land in the Argonne where the In- 
fantry went over Sept. 26th, 1918. 



.1 familiar sign on the much used road 
through the Argonne. 



pie. In civil life this would have been nothing unusual, but to us now it was 
au eveut worthy of special mention. Due to the shortage of sugar in the 
daily diet, we had developed an abnormal hankering for sweets, so that choco- 
late and candy were worth their weight in gold. Apple pie was in the same 
class, and to be able to have such a luxury on an advance made the movement 
doubly a success. Unfortunately there were no "seconds," though "Dan" 
Philpot, with his usual success in such matters, succeeded iu bluffing "Izzie" 
out of a second portion. Galiano also, on the plea that it was "for the 
officers," was successful iu getting a few additional portions, but the expres- 
sion of satisfaction and elation on his face for the rest of the day was a sure 
indication that the officers had never seen the "seconds." 

The following afternoon we moved out again in a further advance, passing- 
over territory occupied by the Germans that morning. As we crossed "No- 
Man's Land," the deadly work of our large concentration of artillery was 
visible. Almost every foot of the ground was plowed up by shell-holes and 
the negro engineers of the 02nd Division had their hands full constructing a 
hasty dirt road over the trackless area. Dead bodies, both American and 
German, were stretched out here and there along the road. There was not 
a single live tree for more than one kilometre, nothing but the bare, blackened 
skeleton trunks of trees. The flocks of black crows flying about in the dark 
threatening clouds overhead added to the picture of desolation and destruc- 
tion which was stretched out before us — truly a "No-Man's Land." 

It started to rain very heavily, so that when we pulled into position near 
Abri St. Louis we worked in a downpour. A company of colored engineers 
was assigned to aid us prepare the emplacements. The position was in the 
midst of a maze of trenches and shell-holes — a reserve trench system of the 
Boche line. As no fires could be built we had to content ourselves with a 
cold meagre mess consisting of a "Corned Willy" sandwich. The rain con- 
tinued all night and when we awoke the following morning we found our 
blankets and clothes dripping wet. We gathered around the fire which the 
cooks were now allowed to build, and while breakfast was being prepared 
tried to get some of the moisture out of our clothes. 

The next two days we remained here, and on October 1st started on an- 
other advance. Dead bodies, again, were stretched out all along the road. 
Wooden signs with German inscriptions on them were posted at all cross- 



[02] 



roads. It seemed to us as though we were already advancing into Germany. 
Curnan tried to pronounce the names of a few of the "strasses" we were 
passing over, but almost broke his teeth in the attempt. Walters, Brotz, and 
the other Dutchmen of the Battery had no such difficulty, however, and "Wil- 
helmstrasse" and "Konigstrasse" came as easily to them as "Begorrah" did 
to Pat. 

When we arrived at our position at Pont a l'Aune we received a warm 
reception. Machine-gun bullets were whistling by and "whizzrbangs" were 
bursting all around us. This was close to the front line, which we could 
judge from the clearness with which we heard the enemy machine guns as 
they rattled off their charges. Our own infantry and machine guns were close 
by. The need lor quick action was seen ami the guns were rapidly laid and 
camouflaged and telephone communication established. Every one dug a 
"foxhole" for the night without further urging. 

The enemy continued to be very active while we were forced to remain 
quiet, for we were so close to them that we could not tire for fear of not clear- 
ing the trees ahead and our own infantry lines. At about 3:00 A. M. of this 
pitch-black night Boche activity increased. Meehan was wounded by a "whizz- 
bang" fragment in his arm during his tour of guard at the guns. Bakken, 
who was on an ammunition detail was hit by a shell fragment. He was car- 
ried by Sergeant French and Wagner, Lindgreu and Nihan to the telephone hut, 
from which Lieutenant Richard and the medical men Robinson and Epstein 
were summoned. First-aid treatment was applied to him while an ambulance 
was hurried up by Corporal Oglesby, our faithful Battalion agejit, whose abil- 
ity in prowling around in the darkness won him the reputation of being the 
best agent in the battalion. Bakken, Meehan and an infantryman, who was 
also injured nearby, were taken away. Bakken unfortunately died on the 
way to the hospital, bringing the total of our dead to eight. His quiet and 
uncomplaining devotion to duty had won him a warm place in our hearts. 

As the infantry advance had been temporarily checked the present posi- 
tion was useless and a change was ordered. On the afternoon of October 3rd 
we drew back to Abri de Crochet and went into position near an old German 
gun emplacement there. An elaborate system of trenches and dugouts was 
found nearby and all men who were not actually with the guns had an 
excellent place in which to sleep. The kitchen was established in the valley 
to our rear. For the next six days we lived in comparative comfort. The 
dugouts were furnished with wire bunks and were the best we had yet encoun- 
tered. Excellent meals were being prepared by the cooks. The tiring sched- 
ule was not very heavy on account of the impossibility of observation in the 
forest and the men got plenty of sleep, "Jerry" did not locate our position 
as it had been excellently camouflaged by those past-masters in the art of 
deception, "Steve" Levins and "Pete" Cream All of these facts contributed 
to make our stay here comparatively restful. During this period, Sergeant 
Clackner came up with some equipment for us. New underwear was issued, 
and as we discarded the old, many a "cootie"' lost a home. As new breeches 
were also issued, Sergeant Osterman could again walk around without being 
guilty of indecent exposure. 

It was during this time that the famous "Lost Battalion" became separ- 



[63] 




Wire entangle 



No Man's Land, Argonne. 



ated from its support during an attack. Although the troops involved were 
of the 154th Infantry Brigade adjoining the one our regiment was supporting, 
we joined in the artillery preparation of the successful relief attack that 
rescued the beleaguered troops after a six-day siege. This thiust, as well as 
advances on our right flank caused the Boche to retire from their strong 
position along the La Viergette-Binarville highroad. On October 9th, the 
infantry having swept forward, we followed and took up a position near the 
La Viergette crossroad. Our stay here was not very long, however, for the 
next morning we were on the march again, pulling into position about 4 :00 
P. M. in the Bois de la Taille. The P. C. was established in a long trench and 
the guns were put into position nearby. The enemy was still burning towns 
ahead of us, so we did not anticipate a very long stay. We did remain for 
two days, however, and these days were full of excitement. 

One of our pieces, with Lieutenant Richard and with a gun-crew com- 
prised of Sergeant Grandin, Lambe, Barth, Downes, Farrell, Coffey, Howard 
and Aske, and a telephone detail made up of Corporals Schapiro and Jonas, 
McBride, Talbot, Thompson and Tansey, went forward to do some direct 
firing if possible. The report was current that the remaining three pieces 
would also go further forward for direct fire. In the afternoon of October 
12th the orders came to move. Every necessary preparation was made and 
we were already lined up ready to pull out when the- orders were cancelled 
and the guns put back into position immediately. We fired for about one-half 
hour and then the order to move forward again came. This time we did pull 
out and marched very hurriedly for about two kilometers. We drew our 
pieces into a field near the village of La Besogne and waited there while the 
Captain hurried down to General Witteumyer's P. C. for further instruc- 



[64] 



lions. When lie returned he informed us that we would stay there for the 
night instead of going further forward. This was to be a halfway stop 
towards the dangerous position from which we would have to do the direct 
tiring. 

In view of the importance and risk of our mission, and because of the 
fact that Lieutenant Richard was away with his "pirate" piece we were 
temporarily assigned two other officers, Lieutenants Stevens and Danieis. The 
next morning Captain Mahon, Lieutenant Lunny, Lieutenant Stevens, Chief 
Mechanic Philpot and Corpora] Glass left as a reconnaisance party to decide 
on the forward position. The battery awaited their return with much interest. 
When they did arrive it was learned that they had found a suitable position, 
and the battery was to go forward that night. In the afternoon a digging 
detail was sent ahead to prepare the position and the telephone detail to lay 
its lines. The location was in open view of the enemy, and the utmost care 
had to be taken to avoid detection. As they were within range of snipers' 
bullets it was necessary for the men to crawl on their bellies as they worked, 
in order to attract no attention. Enemy aeroplanes were very active overhead 
and operations often had to be suspended because of them. To their right 
enemy shells were crashing at regular intervals into the town of Marcq. 
Every preparation was made, so that the guns could come in that night under 
cover of darkness and so that after dawn there would be no unusual activity. 
We could then await the moment for the attack and open up. When evening 
came the firing battery was in readiness for moving and we anticipated a big 
experience. The Captain was almost in constant touch with Lieutenant Colonel 
McCleave and General Wittenmyer. -Inst as we were starting out a runner 
from the General's P. G. came up with orders that we would not go forward 
but would take up a position right where we were. Pleased with the turn 
events had taken we worked with a vim. The telephone detail had a very 
difficult task laving a line to Infantry Headquarters, but, after a tiring night 
of work for the entire detail, communication was, as usual, satisfactorily 
established. The ammunition detail under Sergeant Aigeltinger also worked 
all night bringing up shells over the muddy sunken road which led from our 
position to La Besogne. At daybreak everything was in order. 

In the meantime life had been as pleasant and uneventful as usual in the 
Echelon at Lancon. The busiest department there was the Commissary, 
which was always in full swing. Undisturbed by the wild din of the battle 
field they lived their lives in quiet and peace, being reminded that a war was 
on only when some of the men returning from the front for a rest told them 
of it. On Sunday, October 13th, after the inhabitants of the peaceful place 
had performed their morning ablutions, had shaved and manicured their finger- 
nails and had had their usual buttered toast for breakfast. Chaplain Howard 
arrived to deliver a sermon. Germany had just expressed her willingness to 
accept settlement based on President Wilson's peace terms, and there was even 
more than the usual note of hope in the Chaplain's speech as he told about it. 
The end of the war was only a matter of days he informed his willing listeners. 
His address made a marked impression on everyone, and when he finished his 
audience was convinced that the war was well-nigh at an end. Sergeants 1,'ug 
giero and Ronayne, Corporal Freedman, Machby and Joe Newman had just 



[65] 




Orchard near Marcq where Lt. Richard's 
sniping gun operated. 

returned to the rear, being relieved after many days of hardship, and. of 
course, the thought of peace was a pleasing one to them. They had listened 
with eagerness to the Chaplain's words and were absolutely convinced that 
this was the last day of the war. It was a beautiful mild sunshiny day, and 
the future looked bright with hope. It certainly would be a shame to be 
caught by an enemy shell at that last moment. Though they were all religious 
youths and anxious to join their Maker in due time, they did not feel that 
their time was due yet, so they held a joint consultation to devise ways and 
means by which they could feel certain that they would be among the living 
the following morning when the treaty of peace was read. "Bob," with his 
usual fertility of resource, discovered a large, substantial, bomb-proof dugout 
nearby, and in it they decided to take shelter for the night. A pinochle and a 
poker deck were provided and they were soon settled down for an enjoyable 
and secure night. 

After a peaceful slumber, during which they had many a pleasant dream, 
they awoke the next morning feeling very joyful and thankful that they were 
still alive. The peacefulness of the echelon atmosphere helped to sustain 
their fond hopes and when they issued forth into the light of the day they 
felt certain that never again would they have to wear a "tin derby." They 
soon learned the truth, however, and Joe was convinced that it was all a 
scheme and that the chaplain's speech was nothing more than a "morale 
builder." 

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Richard and his "pirate piece" crew needed no 
argument to convince them that the war was still on. After they had left us 
to go forward for direct fire they had taken a position on a wooded ridge to 
the right and in front of La Besogne. The enemy had direct observation and 
whether or not he detected their presence, he made things pretty hot. Here 
it was that "Paddy" Bowler lost his team through enemy shell Are. "Paddy" 
was greatly grieved at this misfortune, but though he loved his team it was 
not the fact that they had been killed that worried him, for, after all, as he 
expressed it, "The good Lord wucl take care of thim," but the fact that, having 
lost his team, he might lose his status as a driver was causing him much con- 
cern, for he didn't care to become "wan of thim common cannoneers." 

Two days later at midnight the order to move forward came. The infantry 
was to attack St. Juvin and force the crossing of the Aire River. It was only 



[66] 



the heroic work of Corporal McDonough and the drivers Bradshaw, Olaus 
Johnson, Christensen, Fisher, O'Brien, Barham and Carlsen thai made it 
possible to draw the gun and the two <!. S. wagons over the very rough mads. 
and the wrecked railroad beds. As day broke they advanced down the La 
Besogne-Marcq road into the latter town. Although they were in plain view 
and an attractive target the Boche [(referred not to tire on them jnst yet. It 
took eight horses to pull the gun into position up the hill to the east id' Marcq. 
•Inst as they hurried into position the enemy registered on them, but by quick 
work the horses were gotten away in time. On account of the severe shelling 
throughout the area it was impossible to maintain telephone communication 
with the infantry. A runner brought the message to tire at any good target, 
of which there were plenty by this time. At s A. M. our infantry started 
"Over the Top," and our machine guns to the rear of the "pirate piece" 
opened up a ban-age. Caught between our own bullets and the enemy shells 
the cannoneers could only get off a few rounds before they hail to abandon the 
piece temporarily. A second attempt to Are was greeted with a murderous 
deluge of high explosives which prevented any effective work. After the 
machine-gun tire had subsided it was decided to change position. Johnson 
was missing and it was later found that he was in the hospital wounded. 
Tansey had also been hit and was evacuated. Two of the battalion telephone 
detail had become casualties trying to keep the line in repair. 

During a lull in the shelling the limbers were driven down to the gun 
and made a skillful escape over the rough ground and amid further shelling. 
With great difficulty the gun was pulled up the forward slope of the hill 
and continued tiring from there. It remained in this position the next few 
days and because of the splendid observation accomplished some effective work 
against the Boche. In one instance an enemy concentration that appeared 
to be gathering for a counter-attack was dispersed with shrapnel. 

On October 18th we were relieved by the TSth Division. Though we had 
a long hike through muddy and rough roads the warm sun amid the clear 
sky and the fact that we were leaving a front which promised to be our last 
made us all cheerful and happy. As we were passing beyond Chatel Chehery 
a terrific explosion took place, sending up a very heavy shower of dirt and 
stones. It was one of the mines left behind for our benefit by the enemy. 
We proceeded without mishap, however, and in the early evening reached our 
destination, Four de Paris. The regiment was encampd between La Hazaree 
and Four de Paris, on the ground that had been the original "No-Man's Laud," 
now about 20 kilometers from the front line. 



[<!7] 




Chapter X. 

IN RESERVE. 

October 18th to October 31st, 1918. 



UKING our stay at the last front we had made the very intimate 
acquaintance of the "cootie," vulgarly termed the louse. There is 
an old adage that too much familiarity breeds contempt, and it 
must be admitted that their increasing intimacy with us did not 
add to our respect for them. While this feeling was being bred in us, large 
"cootie" families were being bred on us, and ere many days hosts of bewhis- 
kered "cootie" sires with families that would have done a Mormon proud, 
were doing squads East, squads West ami a variety of other formations on 
the excellent drill-grounds provided by our persons. The theory of race suicide 
had not as yet been preached by "cootie" demagogues with the result that, they 
still had the old-fashioned habit of producing large families. They had respect 
for neither race, color, rank nor previous condition of cleanliness and no 
ground was too sacred for them to tread on. 

One da} 7 while at the last position, Sergeant Aigeltinger, who was con- 
vinced that even a "cootie" woidd be awed by the name of Wall Street made 
a bet with Sergeant Grandin that none of these pestiferous insects could be 
found on him. A committee of judges, consisting of Sergeant Darling, Cor- 
poral Freedman and Corporal Schlosser, all of whom were admitted to be 
competent judges on the sidjject, were chosen. "Tingle" removed his nether 
shirt and exposed the surface of his freckled back to view. It took no mag- 
nifying glass to see the large "cootie" stallion which was then galloping down 
his back. The said "cootie" was almost large enough to wear horseshoes, and 
there were some suggestions made to adopt it as the battery mascot. As the 
presence of one of his kind would seem to indicate, there were main' infant 
"cooties" also present, and the judges, after due deliberation, rightly decided 
that Sergeant Grandin was the winner. 

The day after our arrival at Four de Paris, we were informed that we 
were going to be "deloused." Though we were uot as yet initiated into the 
mysteries of this proceeding we knew in a general way that it promised to 
rid us of the pest, so we greeted the news with cheers. We marched to the 
"Delousing Station" nearby, where we removed all of our clothes. As these 
were taken off they were thrown into a heap amid the sad and touching senti- 
ment of the song, "How Can I Bare to Leave Thee." We then passed into a 
tent and were allowed five minutes under a shower. At the end of this period 
the water was turned off aud we were rushed, still wet, through the cold air, into 
an adjoining tent, where an abnormal barrage of shoes, breeches, shirts, etc., 



[68] 




was tired at us. We put these on, outside of the tent, regardless of tit, and 
then returned to the battery, where uniforms were changed about. Glass and 
Petersen "swopped" breeches and were then both properly fitted as to length; 
Noxon and l'ropp did likewise with their blouses and were fitted as to their 
width. 

The two days that we spent in this camp were marked by heavy rain, 
with the result that the low ground was very muddy and living conditions in 
our wet "pup" tents disagreeable. On the morning of the third day, we pulled 
out of Four de Paris and hiked to Les Islettes. a railhead several kilometres 
away. There we pitched out tents in a strip of woods on the slope of a hill, 
ditched and camouflaged them, and in good spirits, settled down for a short 
stay, believing that the railroad nearby would soon carry us away to some resl 
point. Though we were still being held in reserve we all believed that as soon 
as transportation was ready we would be relieved. Furloughs had already 
been issued to Lieutenants Richard and Lunny, and were ready for the men. 

On the evening of October 24th this dream came to an end when we were 
ordered to prepare to return to the front. All furloughs were cancelled. The 
following morning we were up at 4:30 and in a few hours were on the inarch. 
retracing our steps to the front. After a full day of hiking we arrived in the 
early evening near Chatel Chehery, where we pitched camp. A French news 
paper was obtained from a French soldier and it had published President Wil- 
son's reply to Germany, expressing his willingness to discuss an armistice with 
responsible representatives id' the German people. The fact that Germany 
was begging for it. and the rumors we were hearing about conditions there and 
in Austria, made us feel more confident than ever that the conflict would 
soon be over. And though we were disappointed at being recalled to the 
front so soon, this feeling quickly gave way to one of enthusiasm and hope. 

The following morning a detail of cannoneers, under Sergeant Lowell, and 
the Telephone Detail, under Sergeant Osterman, started for the gun position. 
After a long hike over very congested roads, through Chehery and Fleville 
they arrived at the position, on the slope of a hill, in a small strip of woods 
behind Sommerance. The work was done with great diligence, and when eve- 
ning came on the guns were laid, a long line to Battalion Headquarters 
stretched and every preparation made for firing. A telephone guard and a 
guard on the pieces were left behind while the rest of the detail returned to 



[C,!)] 



the echelon at Chatel Chehery. These guards were relieved daily for the next 
few days. The rest of the battery remained at the echelon, awaiting orders 
to move forward. 

Physically the men were in poor condition, as many as twenty-one being 
on sick report in one day. Their spirit, however, was excellent. The news 
had just arrived of Austria's withdrawal from the conflict, and Germany was 
reported to be growing weaker daily. Though the preparations that were 
being made, such as parking in a forward position the caissons loaded with 
ammunition, indicated that we expected to make a rapid and arduous advance, 
we felt that it only needed a final rapid thrust to put an end to the Boche, 
and with this end in view we pushed our efforts to the utmost. Every evening 
there were spirited discussions around the kitchen with "Peace" as the subject, 
and the usual wild Army rumors went the rounds. 

On the evening of October 31st orders came to move up to the front 
before midnight. At about 9 o'clock the gun-crews and details started out in 
groups at half hour intervals. Many feeling handshakes were exchanged 
between those going forward and those remaining behind. The opinion was 
general that we were facing the hardest struggle of any we had yet under- 
taken, and that if we survived this one we would never have to face another. 
With a feeling of determined energy and purpose we pulled out of our posi- 
tion to the main road below. 



[70] 



Chapter XL 

ARGONNE-MEUSE. 
November 1st to November 11th. 




HE road lay clear ahead of us, with no oilier vehicles in sight. As 
we started forward ai a brisk gait the nearby booming of the bi.u 
guns could be heard. There was a resonance and strength to their 
lusty roar that tilled us with confidence. The tiring was only of 
the usual proportion at thai lime so as not to give the enemy any premature 
indications of coming events. We had seen in the daylight the heavy concen- 
tration of artillery all along this very road and we knew that there were thou- 
sands, unseen by us now. who were, like ourselves, waiting for the signal to 
rush forward in a vigorous and hearty effort to put an end forever to the 
threat of military autocracy. 

As we neared Fleville the infantry from other divisions were encountered 
on the road, and notable among these were the marines of the 2nd Division. 
Chehery was lull of troops and lights were being carelessly Hashed about here 
and there. Fleville was the scene of like activity. The country seemed to be 
swarming with troops. 

At Fleville we turned oil' the main road, through a ravine to the East, 
where were concentrated a continuous succession of heavy batteries, French 
and American, ranging from six-inch rifles to 9.2-inch howitzers. Our position 
was about two kilometres beyond. Foxholes had already been dug, and 
though the infantry waiting to go into the lines occupied most of these, shelter 
was finally provided for all of us. Our artillery became increasingly active, 
and were it not for the fact that we knew that the barrage was to slarl at a 
later hour, the din might have led us to believe that it was already on. The 
enemy, who had been up to now quiet, suddenly commenced to retaliate ami 
his shells were dropping everywhere. Fortunately our position was well 
dug in. 

At 3:30 our machine-gun barrage opened up with a heavy and continuous 
rattle. At 5:00 all the artillery joined in, and for hours thereafter there was a 
terrific noise as thousands of shells followed each other through the air 
towards the enemy. The restrained vim and enthusiasm of the men seemed 
to be venting itself now in a wild uproar. Every "bang!" seemed to have 
a sound of purpose and finality. The doughboys went over the top at .">::in 
ami our tire increased. The artillery of our division tired on special targets 
and because of the shortage of ammunition there was no rolling barrage. 

It was a clear, crisp, cold day and the sunshine soon melted the frost 



[71] 



which had covered the ground during the night. On the main road nearby 
long lines of German prisoners were being brought in, and we then saw that 
our efforts had resulted in success. German carts and horses, captured during 
the night, were already being used for carrying supplies. At noon the order 
to move forward arrived and before evening we were in position on the slope 
of a hill behind St. Juvin. 

Early next morning we again started forward. Encouraging news of our 
success was arriving and our spirits were high. We passed through St. Juvin 
and Chainpigneulle and all along the route the corpses of comrade and enemy 
alike were stretched out. After ascending a very steep hill, with much diffi- 
culty, a messenger arrived with the news that our infantry had already ad- 
vanced through Yerpel, several kilometres ahead, and that the enemy was still 
retreating. The battery halted at Yerpel to await further orders. The recon- 
naisance part)' was ahead selecting a position. 

In the meantime a heavy rain had started falling and the men and horses 
were thickly bespattered with mud. The sky, leaden and overcast, was filled 
occasionally with crows flying in flocks through tlie air and preying on the 
many dead horses lying along the route, which added to the cheerlessness of 
the scene. Anticipating a stop near Yerpel, Sergeant French established the 
echelon there and the cooks started preparing mess. "Jerry" sent over a 
few shells into the town, and harassed the roads, so that the prospects for a 
quiet night did not seem very promising. At last the major and battery com- 
manders returned from their recounaisance and we immediately moved for- 
ward. It was now dark and the only lights we were guided by were the fre- 
quent bursts of shells on the road ahead of us. The road towards Thenorgues 
on which we were travelling had already been heavily shelled and it took our 
last ounce of patience and energy to get the horses and carriages over the 
shell-holes. 

At last we went into position off the road near an old mill, midway 
between Yerpel and Thenorgues. As it was a black night each gun had to 
be guided in turn with the aid of a flashlight over the shell-torn field. The 
American heavy batteries had pounded this vicinity in the preliminary bom- 
bardment of November 1st, opening up regular craters in the earth. When 
Private Keller was taking his team back to the road from the gun position 
one of his big blacks decided to seek cover from the shelling and dropped into 
a gaping shell-hole. Sergeant Von Pless came to the rescue with a picket rope 
and a squad of cannoneers in order to fish him out. But the horse was per- 
fectly satisfied with his secure P. C. and refused to move. It was impossible 
to budge his great weight so the attempt was given up, and the animal spent 
a rather cramped but safe night where he was. In the morning he was finally 
dislodged with the aid of ropes and threats of being charged with cowardice 
in the face of the enemy. 

The men did not "dig in" that night as the ground was so wet and muddy 
that every spadeful of dirt would be replaced by an equal quantity of water. 
So we pitched our pup tents near the guns, using half of our blankets to soak 
up the water and keeping the remainder for cover. The shelling continued 
for some time and finally Battery F on our right was routed out of its position 
with a loss of eight horses. In the darkness the telephone men laid a long 



[72] 



line and, as usual, Thompson, II. A., was doing his share. He advanced very 
cautiously, picking each step as he carried the wire forward. Suddenly there 
was a strong tug on the wire ahead of him which pulled "H. A." forward and, 
despite his caution, landed him at the bottom of an icy stream. Recovering 
himself and emitting a few choice Blaisdeli expressions, which were entirely 
pardonable under the circumstances, lie withdrew with wet clothes and 
dampened ardor to the privacy of his pup tent where he spent the night in 
nudity, again donning his wet garments in the morning. 

Starting forward again early the next day we passed through Thenorgues 
and when we reached Buzancy it was still in names from the tires caused by 
hostile shelling the previous night. There were many shops in the town, and 
the signs and inscriptions, all in German, showed that the Boche hail been 
settled here in comfort for some time. As we passed through the narrow 
streets the heat from the still smouldering walls on both sides of us could be 
felt. Bar and Haricourt were the next villages we passed, and as we drew 
out lo the hills beyond we could see circling around on the serpentine roads 
ahead of us long caravans in khaki : infantry, artillery, supply wagons — 
a vast army, all pressing forward victoriously, swarming over the country 
which had been abandoned a few hours before. Large squadrons of bombing- 
planes were sailing through the sky in varied formations ami were dropping 
tons of their deadly missiles on the retreating enemy. Xo less than two 
hundred American planes were swarming overhead as the battery approached 
Autruche. When a few lone German planes attempted to sail over our newly 
won terrain they received so warm a reception from our machine and anti- 
aircraft guns that they were forced to make an immediate about-face. Leaving 
with us one of their number. There was victorious activity both in the air 
and on land, and we were more than ever convinced that this time the enemy 
was beaten for good and all. 

At this time we were joined by Lieutenant Yarbrough, with a section 
from A Battery, to replace the "pirate piece" which had gone forward from 
St. Juvin with Lieutenant Richard and the second section gun-crew. 

The number of horses throughout the brigade had dwindled to such low 
proportions due to shell tire and overexertion that each regiment of artillery 
was ordered to consolidate its transport facilities and send only one battalion 
of guns forward. The remainder of the horses were to be used to rush ammu- 
nition and supplies over the much extended line of communication. The 2nd 
Battalion, Batteries I>, E and F, was selected to go forward in pursuit of 
the Boche. 

In the early evening, after a full day of hiking, we pulled into position 
again on the muddy slope of a hill between Autruche and Fontenoy. Though 
the day had started clear and sunshiny it was now again raining, and the 
same hardships as on the previous night were encountered. No mess had 
been provided since early morning, and then we had only eaten the usual 
bacon sandwich, made up now of hardtack and bacon. This was not the fault 
of the mess sergeant or the cooks, however, for they had prepared a mess for 
us; but Lieutenant Lunny and Corporal Barger were wandering about some 
where in the enemy lines with the ration cart. This situation was somewhat 
relieved by the fact that during the march we had passed by fields of cabbage, 



beets and turnips, which the enemy had cultivated, and to our famished 
palates these raw vegetables afforded a tasty meal. 

The truth of the adage "necessity is the mother of invention" had more 
than once been exemplified by the men in providing themselves with food and 
shelter. Whether it was by "salvaging" or otherwise the tools and material 
necessary for any work were always found, and it needed but the emergency 
to stir up their resourcefulness. The result was that the attitude that "nothing 
is impossible" was developed, and it was this more than anything else which 
had made the American successful where others had failed. One of the finest 
instances of this fertilitj' of resource was given us on one occasion by Galiano 
Anselmi, who was Lieutenant Richard's orderly. Galiano had long possessed 
a healthy appetite, which frequently enabled him to devour the "seconds" 
which he had taken "for the officers" without disturbing his digestion or his 
conscience. One of the lieutenant's cigars had just sharpened his appetite, 
and Galiano was carefully considering ways and means of providing himself 
with food. At this juncture Lieutenant Richard sent for him and told him 
to open up a can of jam. Galiano knew that but two cans remained — one of 
a flavor disliked by the lieutenant and the other, one of his favorites. He 
immediately opened up the distasteful can and hurried to bring it to the 
lieutenant, who after one look at it said, "Anselmi, you can have this can, 
bring me the other one." Having already gained half of his prize, Galiano 
cast about for a means of securing the remainder. As he opened the second 
can, he espied a large bug of the centipede variety wandering over the ground 
nearby. He seized this unsuspecting victim and after having imbedded him in 
the luscious jam in such a manner that he could still attract attention by 
wiggling his numerous legs, he turned the cover down again, and with a very 
faithful and zealous air delivered the can. He hastened away, but, as he 
expected, was soon recalled by the lieutenant, who said, "Here, Anselmi, take 
this can, too, I don't care for any jam this evening." Galiano now removed 
the bug, and he and his fellow "dogrobbers" enjoyed the two cans, while the 
lieutenant was forced to resort to a portion of "Corned Willy." 

The next day, November 4th, we were on foot again early in the morning, 
and slowly pushed our way forward, following the long caravan which already 
preceded us on the march. As we pulled into St. Pierremont, the. front line 
infantry was on the slope of a large hill to our right. The enemy was heavily 
shelling the road ahead of us, so we halted while a reeonnaisance party 
went ahead to see the lay of the land. A few minutes later Lieutenant Mac- 
Dougall, of E Battery, came galloping down the road with some E Battery 
men following. He had taken his Pirate Piece into position in open view of the 
enemy over the hill ahead of us in order to attack a machine-gun nest. They 
soon received a terrific shelling and were forced to abandon the piece, after 
suffering three casualties. As the advance for that day had been halted we 
went into position behind a convenient slope nearby. "Jerry's" shells landed 
dangerously close for several hours, but before morning our "doughboys" had 
chased them far enough ahead to assure us of another good day's hiking. 

We spent the following morning taking up our telephone lines and prepar- 
ing to advance again. In the afternoon we moved forward. As we reached 
an old prison-camp in the Bois de Yonc, a power-house, recently abandoned 



[71] 



by the enemy, was si ill in flames. A hollow nearby seemed to have some advan- 
tages as a position for the night, so we were halted on the road, while Major 
Devereux and the battery commanders rode over to investigate. A battery 
of the 306th F. A. was already in position on the other side of the road. While 
we were awaiting the decision of the major and captain the enemy suddenly 
started shelling the road several hundred metres ahead of lis, and in a few 
moments there was a scene of the wildest confusion. Machine-gun carts 
came rattling down towards us with the drivers standing up in them, excitedly 
whipping their horses and urging them on. The shells, both high explosive 
and gas. soon .started coining much closer to us and we placed ourselves in 
positions calculated to give us the best shelter, while we adjusted the gas-masks 
on the horses ami ourselves. Terrific explosions were now throwing up dirt 
and rocks on all sides, while we impatiently stood .mv ground. Then, with a 
tremendous crash, a shell burst through the roof of a shack, occupied by the 
battery from the 306th. Several other crashes followed, and smoke and 
flame burst through the roof. In a few seconds the men inside wildly rushed 
out, adjusting their gas-masks as they ran. .Many were covered with blood 
anil dirt. One, already dead, was carried out by his comrades on a stretcher. 
Two others, severely wounded and covered with blood, were helped out also. 
The excitement was intense as the enemy tire swept back and forth. At last 
it died down and we drew our pieces info the wooded hollow, and. in the 
heavy rain which was now falling, established ourselves tor the night. From 
time to time during the night the enemy renewed his shelling, but the morning 
found us all safe and sound, though tired, hungry and wet. 

In the afternoon we again advanced. As we reached the town of La 
Besace we were greeted very gladly by the civilian inhabitants who had been 
liberated by our advance. As we marched through the nimbly and flooded 
streets we saw smiling and happy laces everywhere. White flags were floating 
from the tops of many of the houses, as an indication that they were inhabited 
by civilians. The men. women and children lined up on the sides of the 
street had nothing but cheers and praise for the Americans, who had freed 
them after fifty months of I'.oche slavery. We \\^n> really moved by the smiling 
faces everywhere, and the consciousness that we were the cause of this happi- 
ness had an excellent effect upon our morale. We felt more than ever the 
righteousness of the cause we were fighting for, and when we left the town 
and went into position for the nighl on the slope of a steep hill, we felt that, 
though we were suffering from hunger and hardship, it was not being done in 
vain. Though some we had left behind in America were suffering because of our 
absence from them, we now saw that others were made happy because of our 
presence here. 

The food situation had. meanwhile, become increasingly worse as the 
bringing up of supplies became more difficult, and we were all in an underfed 
and famished condition. Haw vegetables, picked from the fields as we marched 
along, had been our main article of food for the past few days, and had been 
entirely insufficient to meet the large drain which the hardships and exertions 
we were daily going through were making on our physical system. Neverthe- 
less, the following morning, November 7th. we were up at 5:30, and, without 
any breakfast, were soon on the road again, continuing our advance. At about 



noon we went into position in a strip of woods northeast of Raucourt, where, 
in the rain, which was, as usual, falling, we pitched our tents and dug in. 
Nearby was a cemetery, originally dedicated by the French to their dead 
heroes, and subsequently similarly used by the Germans. There were several 
Boehe graves recently filled and several others dug but unfilled, and in one 
of these Mechanic Price and Corporal Stuart established themselves for the 
night, thereby saving themselves much digging. 

The Boche having been driven across the Meuse River were now intrenched 
on the high hills beyond that stream, while on our left the outskirts of Sedan 
had been penetrated by American troops. Our own divisional objectives hav- 
ing been reached we were informed that the lines would be stabilized for a few 
days in order to repair lines of communication and bring up supplies 
for a further advance. 

The rain and cold continued and when we awoke in the mornings our 
tents were covered with frost. The "canned heat" which some of us had 
salvaged helped a bit to heat the tents at night, and enabled us to crudely 
toast our bread. During the day, in the cover of the woods, we built wood 
fires and dried up some of our clothes. We continued to harass the enemy, 
and to be fired at by them, but we suffered no further casualties. 

In the meantime Lieutenant Richard with his Pirate Piece and a crew of 
pirates, consisting this time of Sergeant Darling, Gleason, Van Buren, Bur- 
dick, Roth, Yineer, Graves and Panfil, had been doing very effective work in 
accelerating the enemy's retreat. They were in position now near the 
Meuse at Autrecourt. Lieutenant Lunny, with Sergeant Ruggiero's gun-crew, 
went down to relieve them. On Sunday, November 10th, the spell of bad 
weather was broken by a beautiful, clear day. The warm sunshine which 
poured down on us now, instead of the cold rain, filled us with a feeling of joy 
and cheerfulness. About half past five that afternoon the battery was called 
upon to fire on a German dug-out that had been spotted by an infantry ob- 
server. After the first salvo had gone over, the infantry reported a direct hit 
on the target and we proceeded to let them have a few more rounds. From the 
official report this firing was the parting shot of the 152nd F. A. Brigade in 
the Great War. Thus we finished our part in the war with a "bullVeye." 

The enemy seemed to have ceased firing, and everything became quiet as 
we lolled about on the grass. Rumors reached us from a French anti-aircraft 
battery nearby that "La guerre eta it finis" and it seemed to us that it would 
be fitting that peace should come on a day such as this. Of course, we were 
incredulous, yet we fostered the fond hope, and were disappointed when we 
turned in that night to hear the enemy's "coal barges" again sailing through 
the air. 

The next day, Monday, November 11th, was a cloudy, wintry day, dis- 
agreeably different from yesterday, and wheu at breakfast the news was spread 
that an armistice would go into effect on the entire front at 11 o'clock we 
could not believe it possible. This news, however, was soon confirmed by 
Captain Mahon, and our joy knew no bounds. We built large bonfires and 
grouping around them, sang songs, and genuine happiness was written on 
every face. We had survived the worst, and felt that the hardships which 
Life could now offer us would be picayune in comparison. When the question 



[76] 




Tom Price's bench — s/mt nt which the firing battery celebrated Ai 



"Is everybody happy?" was yelled <m t by one group, "Yea bo!" was the full- 
hearted response. That afternoon some of us went to Raucourt to take a 
much needed bath, and there, among the civilian population were scenes of 
the wildest rejoicing. French and American flags were floating from the houses 
and joy was on every face. The sun was now shining, and this earth certainly 
seemed a happy and beautiful place to live in. The philosopher who urged 
that this world was the best of all possible places would have found a mob of 
adherents, and poor Schopenhauer would have been shot at sunrise for his 
gloomy views. At night, some of us built large bonfires and gathered around 
and shouted and sang, while others stuck up candles on our helmets and by 
the light of these sat in our "pup" tents happily chatting or writing a few 
words to those at home. When we turned in that night it was with a seuse 
of relaxation and freedom from burden such as we had not for a long time 
experienced. There were none of the usual terrifying and horrible noises; 
these were now but memories of the nightmare we had just lived through, 
while the future faced us bright and cheerful in outlook. 




Chapter XII. 

OUR LAST FRONT. 

November 12th to December 2nd. 

j|T has recently been reported by a prominent newspaper that a sol- 
dier had been found who stated that he enjoyed being under shell 
fire. Strange as this may sound, it is easily explainable, and is 
but an exaggeration of a very common reaction to the strain of the 
battlefrout. When a man is under extreme clanger his every sense and feeling 
is alert and super-sensitive. Every faculty he possesses is active and in full 
operation. He experiences for the time, a heightened intensity of feeling, 
and this, perhaps, explains why he is coolest and at his best at the moment 
of most critical clanger. His attention is diverted away from his physical self 
and concentrated on the threatening clanger and the means of averting it. 
The effect is very similar to that of a stimulant, and the reaction is also 
similar. When the moment of great danger has passed, the stimulus is re- 
moved and the high tension of feeling is slackened. His attention is again 
directed to himself and he again becomes actively conscious of his physical 
condition. Very often, when one of our men had been sent to the echelon for 
a few days' rest, after an extended stay at the front, the leisure, instead of 
benefiting him, usually resulted in his "going to pieces" there, and he only felt 
well again when he returned to the conditions of constant danger, activity 
and self-forgetfulness at the front. 

Now, after the armistice was signed a similar reaction was noticeable on 
many. True, we enjoyed to the utmost the feeling that the hardships and 
horrors were ended, but physically we did not feel at our best. Though we 
enjoyed the relief from the big strain of our recent experiences still the stim- 
ulus which they offered was also gone and the effects of a lessened intensity of 
feeling were noticeable. 

On the morning of November 12th, after a night which for many had 
been disturbed and sleepless because of the considerations just mentioned, 
we arose to another day of jubilation. As we washed and shaved, there 
was no longer the need of keeping our white towels under cover for fear 
that the enemy planes would see them. Camouflage was a tiling of the 
past now for us, and to be able to move around and act without the usual 
precautionary measures was indeed a relief. Bonfires were again started and 
songs and shouts, as yesterday, filled the air. Word arrived at eleven o'clock 
that we would be relieved from the front that afternoon, and this added to our 
rejoicing. As usual, "Mike'' Dichich and his staff of chefs were on the job for 
the occasion and had an excellent mess ready to add to the holiday feeling. 



[78] 



Iii the early afternoon, with the sun ;it its full strength, we pulled out 
through the town of Raucourt, still smiling over its restoration to freedom. 
We passed through the flooded streets of La Besace again and arrived at 
Sommauthe in the evening. The march was long and tiresome but our spirits 
were high, and we did not mind it. <>n the hike "Al" Murphy introduced the 
song thai made him famous: "Those Little Red Drawers That My Hear Maggie 
Wore"; Bennie Freeman sang some of his favorite sentimental tunes and we all 
joined in on "The Old Cray .Mare, She A i n't What She I'sed to Be." 

We pitched ramp on a cold and muddy strip of ground outside of Som- 
mauthe and after thawing ourselves out at big bonfires mined in for the night. 
The next morning the real effects of the reaction mentioned in the opening 
paragraphs of this chapter became apparent. Most of the men were sick and 
in poor physical condition. The two days we spent here were far from enjoy- 
able, especially for the cannoneers, for we were all back with the "dogs" now 
and they needed more grooming and attention than we ourselves got. In 
the evening of November 14th, after many conflicting rumors as to our joining 
the Army id' Occupation or entraining for the coast had gone the rounds, orders 
arrived to leave our guns in their present position and move out with our 
horses. After a long hike we camped several kilometres beyond Beaumont, on 
the slope of a hill. It was past midnight and a cold wind was blowing. We 
pitched our tents and after piling everything we owned on top of us for 
warmth dropped off to sleep. 

At 5 o'clock we were up again, ready to go forward to take over the guns 
of the 124th F. A. Our packs were loaded on a rickety salvaged German cart, 
and. with Walter F. Bang, from Iowa, driving, we started out toward "the 
front."' In spite of our lack of sleep we were in excellent spirits, and, as we 
started out. were singing and cheering. Bang, with his usual pipe in the 
corner of his mouth, was ably mami'iivering the horse and cart, modestly 
acknowledging the "Three cheers for Bang:'' which were being shouted out 
from time to time. Just then a heavy truck came along and striking the wheel 
in passing, brought horse, cart. Bang and pipe to the ground. None of these 
were injured, however, and after "Dan" Philpot had straightened out the 
axle, explaining to us that "this is the way yuh does it, min," we started 
forward again amid songs and cheers. 

When we arrived at the position we found that it would be necessary to 
leave only a guard on the pieces. This was done and the rest of us returned 
in time to witness the event which, next to the cessation of hostilities, we had 
most earnestly prayed for. The "dogs" were being turned in, and we needed 
no better proof that the war was over. As McBride had often insisted, the 
war would never be over for us until we got rid of the "dogs," and when we 
saw all but twelve being turned over to the loth F. A., who were going into 
Germany as part of the Army of Occupation, we shed no tears over their 
departure. Possibly Brozowski was an exception, for his pair of grays and 
he had become inseparable friends. He could not bear to think that they 
were once more going to be reduced to the regulation government ration, in- 
stead of the regular allowance plus all that Brozowski could "salvage" for 
them, which invariably doubled the quantity of their diet. Another war was 
thus also ended, that between the drivers and the cannoneers, and a second 




Battery D billet* in Briquenay showing the 
former town hull in the centre. 



armistice was that day declared. Klesmer, McOahill and Buckmiller were at 
this time also transferred to the loth F. A. 

The next lew days were bitterly cold and snow flurries fell. The "pup" 
tents were very uncomfortable, and we were glad to move into a German prison- 
camp nearby where Ave could sleep under cover, with stoves ablaze. We re- 
mained here until November 19th, when we moved out, returning to Som- 
mauthe. After two days there, this time in billets instead of "pup" teuts, 
with fireplaces instead of bonfires, we hiked to the village of Briquenay, about 
seven kilometres distant. 

Briquenay was a small village, long inhabited by the Germans, but now 
entirely deserted. The houses were almost all intact, and the furniture in 
them indicated that the Germans had been leading a comfortable life here. 
Electric lines were strung through the town, but were not now in operation. 
We were billeted in the town hall and in several adjoining houses. A few 
minutes after our arrival the men were seeu scurrying in all directions col- 
lecting chairs and other articles of furniture, preparing to make their stay 
comfortable. A barrel of dill pickles, left behind by some other organization 
which had been billeted here, was "salvaged" and soon we were all walking 
around with pickles in our mouths. Several axes were found and some of 
us were soon chopping up logs for the large fireplaces which were in all of 
the billets. A short time after our arrival we were very comfortably installed 
in our new quarters, and sat in groups around the blazing fireplaces, enjoying 
what constituted luxurious living to us now. 

The next few days we were engaged in salvage work, collecting the vari- 
ous articles scattered throughout the town belonging to the American Army, 
and sorting these out and placing them in separate piles. The towu clerk, 
with several female civilians, arrived after an absence of four years and 
started to set what had been theirjioiues in order. They drew supplies from 
our kitchen and were in other ways helped by our men. During our stay 
here we received another "delousing." The Germans had left an "Entlausing 
Station" nearby, and here we got a hot bath and a change of underwear, 
again ridding us of the "cootie," who had come back in large numbers since the 
last ablutions. 

Another feature of our life in Briquenay was the non-commissioned 
officers' room. All of the non-commissioned officers gathered in one of the 



[SO] 




Guardhouse ni Briquenay. 

rooms in the town hall, ami here, of an evening, with the fireplace ablaze with 
large logs, many a spirited discussion took place. "Hank" Miller, who was 
recovering from his diarrhoea, became more argumentative than ever. He 
argued on every subject, from Birth Control to Booze, and claimed to be an 
expert on all. One night, when "Bob" Freedman had smuggled some cognac 
in, and "Hank" had smuggled some into his own system, he argued with more 
spirit than ever on the subject of Wilson and the League of Nations. Many 
a book and magazine flew through the air towards Class, his implacable wordy 
enemy. "Hank" finally had to be put to bed, worsted in the argument, though, 
as usual, he did not admit it. 

Some of the same cognac, together with a dozen bottles of Pomery, were 
smuggled up to the billets inhabited by Sergeants Aigeltinger, Pons and 
Ronayne, Corporals SSchapiro and McDonough and Chief Mechanic Philpot. 
"Dearie" Ronayne charged "Mac" with being a slacker. "Mac" retained 
"Sheppy" as his counsellor and "Shep" with his hair and moustache bristling 
straight up, and with much display of eloquence, argued the case for him. 
Philpot was appointed "jedge," because of his versatility and knowledge of 
all subjects, and after much eloquence and liquor had flowed forth, with much 
display of homely and practical wisdom, ".ledge" Philpot acquitted "Mac" of 
the charge. 

On Thanksgiving Day, November 28th, Chaplain Howard delivered an 
excellent sermon in the village church. The band was on hand to liven up 
the occasion. The true spirit of Thanksgiving was everywhere present as we 
reviewed the events of the past several months and their fortunate outcome. 
Sergeant Dichich and Corporal Freedman had gone to Chalons by motor truck 
to make purchases for a Thanksgiving Dinner and they returned with a load 
of good things. The mess-hall, formerly the town hall, was decorated with 
ferns, holly and shrubbery, and then an excellent meal was served, consisting 
of roast lamb, mashed potatoes, salad, cocoa, nuts and red wine. Sergeant 
French made a gift of a large bar of chocolate to every man in the battery, 
thus adding to the holiday feeling. The occasion was felt by all to be one 
of deeper significance for us than any previous Thanksgiving Day. 

On the morning of December 2nd we left Briquenay and hiked to Grand 
pre, seven kilometres away. Grandpre was in total ruins, hardly a building 
standing intact. The destructiveness of shell tire was more apparent here 
than in any of the many shelled towns we had passed through. Debris, dust 



[81] 




American "side door" Pullman train. 

and dirt were piled up and scattered all around, and the town was the picture 
of desolation and ruin. There were very few civilians present, but the town 
was alive with American troops, who were busily engaged in salvage work. 
We had a hurried mess and then were loaded on to motor trucks and driven 
to Autrie, the railhead from which we were to entrain. Transportation not 
having yet appeared, we lodged ourselves in a German camp nearby and awaited 
its arrival. About o'clock the train steamed in and by 10 o'clock we were 
loaded on American box cars, seventy to a car, ready to pull out. Where we 
were going we did not know, but we hoped that it was to the coast, from which 
we could sail for home. 




Battery Basket-Ball Team. 



[82] 




Group on trip to Brest. 



Chapter XIII. 



LIGNEROLLES. 

December 3rd, 1918, to February 8th, 1919. 




JBOUT 4 o'clock in the morning of December 3rd we left the station 
at Autrie. The conditions on the box cars were as usual— a jumble 
of 71) bodies and 7<l packs in a space which could comfortably hold 
only one quarter of that number. We were bunched together on 
the straw spread out in the cars and when a station was reached and we 
jumped off to stretch our legs we looked like real "Weary Willies," with our 
hair dishevelled, our caps setting on our heads at unusual angles ami our 
clothes covered with wisps of straw. However, we were by this time accus- 
tomed to hardships and we considered this comfortable travelling. As we sat 
grouped around the doorways, or stood up looking through the slits on the 
side, it was pleasant to notice a slow but gradual return to the scenes and 
signs of civilization. The sight of even a civilian had become a rarity to us 
in our long stay in the devastated regions, and now, as the train passed 
through villages, towns and cities we saw women and children, open shops, 
busy streets and a variety of other commonplaces, which struck us with as 
much novelty as though we had never seen them before in our lives. What was 
customary in the life of a civilian had become out of the ordinary in our 
unusual method of life, and it was now a pleasing sensation to feel that we 
were returning to a more normal existence again. 

At 4:30 I'. M., we arrived at the station of Latrecey. It was raining, and 
as we detrained and unloaded our carriages and equipment by the light of a 
bonfire, the surrounding country had a desolate and dreary appearance, which 
was far from reassuring. We pulled the guns, caissons. (1. S. carts, Fourgon 
wagons and water-wagon to a field nearby, placed them in some kind of order 
and then, shouldering our packs, hiked for some distance over railroad tracks 
to a large tin covered shed used as an aeroplane hangar, where we spread out 
our shelter halves ami blankets and turned in for the night. 

The following morning we hiked back over the railroad tracks again and 



[S3] 



had an unsatisfactory "Canned Willie" breakfast. We then started on a long 
hike, in a drizzling rain, over muddy roads and arrived at last in the after- 
noon at the village of Lignerolles. Part of the batten' was housed in a bar- 
rack while the rest occupied the available lofts and cowsheds which were usu- 
ally assigned to the "Aniericain soldat" as billets. 

Lignerolles was our home for the next ten weeks. It was a small village 
with a population of 144. The houses were grouped around the village church 
which stood facing the Aubette River. The town was neatly laid out and 
was much cleaner than the average French village we had seen. Another im- 
portant feature was the presence of two "gin-mills" where the "necessities" 
of a soldier's life were dispensed. The village also boasted a schoolhouse, 
where two demure and pretty schoolmistresses resided, a travelling pastor, 
who visited the church and helped the boys smoke their cigarettes, and a 
graveyard containing the sacred remnants of the inhabitants of Lignerolles 
for several generations past. There was, in addition to this, in the village, 
one cow, a few chickens, a few more rabbits and a large reserve of "pommes 
de terres," which lasted throughout the next ten weeks and afforded the 
basis of many a "potato party." 

A "potato party" is a form of entertainment and nourishment peculiar 
to France and the A. E. F. In every village where troops are billeted there 
are many French families who own a stove, a frying-pan and a supply of 
potatoes, and are kindly disposed towards the American soldier and his francs. 
In the evening, after the soldier has finished his day's work, and his three 
"squares" he usually gathers in these houses, sits at the table under candle 
light, with his mess-kit in front of him, feeds the old man with Bull Durham 
and "ready-mades," and partakes of dish after dish of delicately greased 
"pommes de terres frites" at one franc, or thereabouts, a throw, as a light dish 
before retiring. 

This was the way that many of the men spent their evenings at Ligne 
rolles. "Greaseball" Kory, "Micky" Mara, Rocco Manzo, Phil Foster, McBride, 
"Barney" Gilmour and most of the other privates, as well as the more elite 
sergeants and corporals, spent evening after evening in the different houses of 
the town, eating potatoes and discussing the possibility of getting home "Toot 
Sweet." Bugler Wagner was a steady caller at one of these houses, and it 
was rumored that it was not only the potatoes that drew him there, but also 
the winning charms of Mademoiselle Ninny, called, for short, "Skull and 
Crossbones." 

In addition to "potato parties" there were also "booze parties*' nightly. 
These took place at the two gin-mills, one of which was presided over by the 
feminine charms of Mademoiselle Madeleine, while the other by the rival charms 
of Yvenette. Madeleine was of the long, thin variety of female, and wore 
fashionable clothes — even silk hose. Van Auken became enamoured of the 
young lady and thus became one of the best customers and consumers at that 
"gin-mill." Yvenette, the presiding goddess at the other, was of the short, 
chubby variety and was admitted by everyone to be "pleasingly plump." Good- 
man developed a soft spot in his heart for her, and was a regular visitor there 
until Sergeant Mayer arrived from the Officers' Training Camp and captured 
the young lady with his polished manners and finger-nails and his excellent 



[S4] 



French. It can readily be seen that with two such charming young ladies in 
charge of the two rival "gin-mills" many a discussion would arise as to their 
comparative beauty and virtues. Many a spirited argument took place on the 
subject. Meanwhile Madeleine and Yvenette continued to dispense pleasing 
beverages, not realizing thai they were the subject of so much of the conver- 
sation. 

This was not the only form of discussion that took place, however. A 
debate was arranged on the subject, "Are you in favor of a League of Nations?" 
and it took place one Saturday afternoon in the barracks. "Hank" Miller, 
"Cognac" Lowell, Joachim Simas and Noxon supported the affirmative, while 
Sehapiro, Petchtle, Lambe and (Jlass represented the negative. "Hank," with 
an expression of suspense and pain which outrivalled even his facial contor- 
tions when his usual malady held him in its fatal grip, delivered a carefully 
prepared address on the virtues of permanent peace and then sat down with a 
sigh of relief, such as Atlas would utter were the weight of the earth to be 
removed from his shoulders. Joachim supported him with a learned dis- 
course, during which he quoted every Portuguese philosopher from the days 
of antiquity down to and including himself. Noxon, with his usual emphatic 
and "take-it-from-me" manner lent his support, as did also Lowell, and it 
looked dark for the negative after these speakers had finished. (>n the nega- 
tive, "Peck" delivered a masterly oration, followed by Lambe, who expressed 
his forceful opinions on the question of allowing Chinamen to have a say in 
the ruling of Ireland. Then "Sheppy" took the floor, and he took the audi- 
ence too. With hair dishevelled and standing on end, with his little moustache 
bristling at an atgie of 90 degrees from his lip. he delivered a scathing address 
in which he flayed unmercifully "Hank" and the other "academic gentlemen" 
who had supported him. When he had finished he was loudly applauded 
and the verdict was given to the negative. 

In the early part of December the first furloughs were issued to the men. 
Chief Mechanic Philpot, Sergeants Osterman, Lowell, Darling and Aigeltinger, 
Corporals Class and McDonough anil Private Petchtle left for Aix-les-Bains. 
where they lived in high style at a modern hotel, forgetting for the time every 
thing military. The rest of the battery were not so fortunate, however, for 
day after day they had to go through the monotonous close order drill, gun 
drill, wig-wag and semaphone practice and a variety of other exercises, most 
of which had proved to lie useless at the front, but were, however, a good 
means of "killing" time and making the Army distasteful now. Our after 
noons were usually spent in some field problem or manceuver which was as 
dull and uninteresting as everything else military had now become. The break 
in the monotony came on Sunday, when we started the day by going to 
church and ended it up by visiting one of the local "gin-mills" and beating 11(1 
or being beaten up by one of our good comrades. "Micky" Mara and "Paddy" 
Curium were two such pals and. one Sunday eve, in true Irish and Christian 
style pummelled each other, with the result that "Paddy" sported a pair of 
eyes which, for variety of coloring, had the rainbow beaten all hollow. 

On Saturdays we usually hiked to the neighboring town of Aubepierre 
where the 1st Battalion was stationed and there marched in review before 
Colonel Enos. The hike to Aubepierre was a long and hard one. over many 



[86 



a steep hill, and it was considered a stroke of good fortune to be able to 
escape taking it. "Bennie" Freeman, who for some time past had been fat- 
tening himself on rabbits, chickens and the usual onions, was not in condition 
to do any vigorous hiking, so, one Saturday morning, he decided that instead 
of hiking to Aubepierre he would betake himself to the infirmary nearby under 
the pretext that he was sick. He communicated this plan to "Teddy" Hecht, 
"Froggie" Courchene, "Blondie" Aske and others of his friends who were 
also experts at 'Mucking" formations, at the same time expressing the hope 
that he would not be given any salts at the infirmary, the taste and effects 
of which were not the most pleasant. Sergeant Lowell overheard this con- 
versation and slipping out of the door, hurried to the infirmary. He apprised 
Robinson, who was on duty there, of the scheme which was on foot, and then 
hurried back in time to turn "Beunie's" name in on sick-call. When the bugle 
blew, "Bennie" turned out and went up to the infirmary. With a very pained 
expression he told Lieutenant McCaleb of his sufferings, and the Lieutenant 
gave him a very careful examination. After feeling his pulse and taking his 
temperature, he advised "Bennie" that he was in a very serious condition, 
and that the best medicine for him was a double dose of salts. This was pre- 
pared, and with a very wry face, "Bennie" had to swallow it. He suffered 
for the rest of the day and night, but the salts were found to be an effective 
cure for his ailment, for the next Saturday he hiked to Aubepierre. 

On Christmas Day a large consignment of turkeys arrived, purchased 
with funds sent over by the 304th F. A. Association. The turkeys were, 
however, fouler than eatable fowls should be, with the result that they had to 
be consigned to the refuse can. The day lacked the usual good cheer of 
Christmas, as did also New Year's Day. The only place the men could stay 
with any degree of comfort was in the "gin-mills" and these had none of the 
home-like holiday amusements. 

On New Year's Eve, after "Taps" had blown, a long procession, headed 
by "Pop" Munday, who, as Van Buren expressed it, was rather "pifflieated," 
filed out of the "gin-mills" and marched to the officers' quarters, where they 
raised a tremendous din by beating their mess-kits together. They continued 
this noise for some time, and, finally, after Major Devereux had opened his 
window and wished them a "Happy New Year," dispersed and climbed up the 
ladders to their billets. This was a difficult feat for some, but, with the aid 
of their more sober comrades they, at last, all made it, without anyone landing 
in the guardhouse for the night. 

The guardhouse was a rather rickety building, with a stone floored room 
containing a large fireplace downstairs, and two bare rooms with broken 
windows and floors upstairs. The guard consisted of sixteen privates, three 
corporals and two sergeants. In the smoky atmosphere of the room down- 
stairs these men gathered, when off post, reading, writing letters, playing- 
cards or preparing something tasty to eat, such as an onion sandwich, French 
fried potatoes, or some "flapjacks." During the wee small hour of the night, 
while the rest of the village was resting from its daily toils, the guardhouse was 
usually full of activity, as the men engaged themselves in these various occu- 
pations, to the tuneful accompaniment of the snoring of some of the men 
who had dropped off for a short restful nap on the stone floor. During the day 



[86] 







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Q 








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^ ^ 


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the must desirable posts were Nos. - and 4, the two "gin-mills." The guard 
there was a sort of official faster, called in from time to time to-sample every 
newly opened bottle, and these posts usually fell to the lot of men who were 
experienced and competent enough to pass judgment, such as Xihan, Gleason, 
Brotz, Cullinane and Russell. At night the most desirable post was No. ■">. 
the kitchen. Here, the guard picked for himself the most juicy steaks and 
choice foods and spent his nightly vigil sampling the next day's rations. 

In addition to their General Orders the guards also had several special 
Orders prescribed by themselves. Special Order No. 1 provided that the 

guard "salvage" enough wood fr the French woodpiles to keep the tire going 

all night. Special Order No. - was for the kitchen guard only, and provided 
that he bring hack enough steaks to feed the rest of the guard. It was diffi- 
cult for some of the men to learn their general and special orders, as they 
could not read English. Brozowski was one who had difficulty in this direc- 
tion; but he demonstrated that he had a very practical understanding of his 
duties. One night, while on guard at No. i "gin-mill," Lieutenant Lunny, who 
was officer of the day, approached and walked by without being challenged. 
He came back to Brozowski and asked him why he had not challenged him 
when he saw him approaching. "For why should I ask the Lieutenant 'Who 
goes there'.' - when I see who it is?" asked Brozowski. This logic was irre- 
futable, so the Lieutenant passed on. 

In the early part of January, a Y. M. <\ A. hut was established in the 
basement of the schoolhouse and a female Y. M. O. A. worker arrived to sell 
us biscuits, jam and other sweetmeats. The schoolhouse proper was also 
opened up in the evenings and classes were conducted there. Corporal Schap- 
iro conducted a class in Commercial Arithmetic. Sergeanl Kroeger of E Bat- 



[87 



tery a class in Elementary English, Corporal Glass, one in Advanced English, 
while Lieutenant Richard delivered two lectures each week on the World 
War and its historical background, and Major Devereux lectured on our 
campaigns. Shows were also staged several times a week, to which Batteries 
D and E both contributed their local talent. A boxing-bout was arranged 
between Gaylord P. Bailey, the "Iowa Cyclone," and Elmer J. Brotz, the 
"Buffalo Whirlwind," but when the time arrived both of these pugilists, having 
been patronizing Yvenette's bar for some time, were not in condition to fight. 

In the meantime, our schedule had been changed providing for the use of 
the afternoons in athletics. When the call for afternoon drill blew we lined up 
and marched to the athletic field nearby, where we spent the afternoon playing 
baseball, track games and soccer. Lambe had developed an excellent soccer 
team, made up of such nimble athletes as Schapiro, Barrett, Bowler, Walsh, 
Crean, Woods, Dyer, Hecht, Lambe, Foster, Sagman, Culliton, Croy, Philpot, 
Roth and Van Buren, and the combinations were strong enough to beat every 
team in the regiment. The betting on the games was heavy and as we lost 
none of them, the francs of most of the men were being multiplied, as was 
also, in consequence, the income of the gin-mills. 

The second group of "permissionaires" left for Challes-les-Eaux, after 
the first group returned. The fortunate ones this time were Sergeant French, 
Corporals Miller, Schlosser, Schwab, Barger, Levins and Pvt. Gleason. Captain 
Mahon and Lieutenant Daniels, who had also been away on furloughs, returned 
and relieved Lieutenants Richard and Lunny, who paid a visit to the balmy 
Riviera. 

On Sunday, January 5th, we marched to Aubepierre, where the entire 
regiment was assembled for a Memorial Service in memory of the men we 
had lost in action. After a brief address by Colonel Enos, Chaplain Howard 
delivered a splendid sermon in praise of these dead. The band played appro- 
priate music and the entire regiment joined in prayer. 

The following Sunday we again hiked to Aubepierre, but this time for a 
different purpose. We were to be "deloused" again. We packed up all our 
equipment, both issued and personal, in the bedsacks and loaded them on a 
wagon to be carried to Aubepierre. On arrival we each took our pack, and, 
in our turn, entered a house adoining the bathouse. Here we stripped off 
all of our clothes and put these also into the bedsacks. They were then taken 
out to a sterilizing machine outside, while we, covered by a blanket provided 
for the occasion, went into the bathhouse for a hot shower. By the time we 
had completed the bath, the bed sacks and their contents had been sterilized 
and were awaiting us in another room. Although still steaming hot they 
dried out before we were completely dressed. We then marched back to Ligne- 
rolles, much cleaner than when we had left and this time effectively separated 
from the hateful "cootie." 

This was the first of a series of steps taken in preparation for our moving 
and entering the Le Mans Area. On January 25th our guns were taken away 
by the tractor, and that was the last we saw of them. Sidearms, signal equip- 
ment and telephone lines were also turned in. Realizing that moving was 
now only a matter of days we eagerly looked forward to our departure, for the 
stay at Lignerolles had been dull and monotonous. We held daily practice 



[38] 




(hi the inni in Brest. 



marches with parks in training for the 9-kilometre hike to Latreceyj which we 
would have to make when the moving orders arrived. A snow had fallen at 
about this time, covering the roads with a slippery coating and making it 'dif- 
ficult to retain one's balance. This became even more precarious when a snow- 
ball barrage started coming over from the rear of the column. Those in the 
front, however, had their revenge when after a halt they about-faced and 
pelted the former offenders unmercifully. Nor did everyone escape without 
injuries from these battles, for Sergeant Ronayne and Corporal Class carried 
with them on their eyes for many days thereafter the scars of honorable 
snowball warfare. 

The snow had completely transformed the appearance of the surrounding 
country with its white blanket. The Hacks of game in Hie snow had brought 
out all the hunters of the neighborhood, and it was a common sight to see a 
Frenchman dragging a wild hoar or a deer back from the chase. An old snow- 
plow which was found in the village, was rigged up by the men and much spoil 
was had running it through the streets to clear away the snow. A few brave 
ones stood on the plow as it drove along while the rest of us lined up on the 
side and pelted them with snowballs. 

With the snow had come a siege of very cold weather and when February 
8th, the day set for our moving, arrived, we were in the midst of the only 
bitter cold snap we endured in France. A biting wind was blowing, which 
made progress with our heavy packs up the long hills and over the slippery 
roads to Latrecey slow and difficult. After two hours of this tiresome hiking 
we arrived at our destination and stopped at a Y. M. <\ A. hut. where we were 
served with a cup of hot chocolate and a jam sandwich. We then took shelter 
from the wind in a barn near the railroad tracks, where we awaited the arrival 
of our train. The "4(1 Homines" and "8 Ohevaux" type of French box cars 
finally arrived and at 5 o'clock we piled in on the straw covering the floor, 
anticipating an unpleasant journey. 



I sin 




Chapter XIV. 

THE LE MANS AREA AND BREST. 
February 9, 1919, to April 20, 1919. 



j|HE journey we now started on was by far the most disagreeable we 
had yet experienced. With no explained reason for conditions 
which showed criminal lack of provision for the men, we were 
huddled together, in zero weather, in cold, bare box cars, forty to 
a car. Our provisions for the trip, consisting of bread, and canned corned beef 
and beans, were piled up in the center of the car. A latrine-can was placed 
nearby and a lister bag was hung overhead. We were so closely jammed 
together that it was even impossible to get up for our "grub," so we sat, ate 
and tried to sleep in the same spot. Straw was strewn over the floor and 
added to the dirt and filth. 

The beans and canned corned beef froze and turned sour, and the water 
froze in our canteens. The trip was miserable from beginning to end, and in 
every detail. When we jumped off at a station and sought to buy some sand- 
wiches which were on sale there, we were informed by the guard who had 
been placed there that the sandwiches were "for officers only." What wonder 
then that the attitude of the men as expressed by them was that the next war 
would be "for officers only"? 

There has been much criticism, chiefly to further partisan political pur- 
poses, of the army, its officers and its management. Most of this has been 
entirely unjustified, but here was a case where the neglect shown by the 
military authorities was indeed blameworthy. There was not the slightest 
indication that the comfort of the men had been given the smallest consider- 
ation. 

As a direct result of these conditions, thirty -nine men from our own 
battery were sent to the hospital with "Spanish Influenza," the first cases 
which we had. Battery F sent eighty to the hospital. Cook Schwartz was 
taken from the train in an ambulance. Boom was sent away with pneumonia 
and died. The loss of this fine soldier and comrade was much to be regretted 
especially after the active fighting was over. 

After two days and nights of this misery, we arrived at the town of La Suze 
at 5 A. M., of February 11th, and detrained there. We enjoyed a cup of coffee 
and some biscuits at the Y. M. C. A. and then hiked for four and one-half 
kilos to the Chateau Bussoniere, near the village of Ferce. We marched 
through a long walk, lined with overhanging evergreens to the chateau and its 
adjoining buildings. Our billets consisted of ancient lofts, inhabited by 



[90] 




"Amerieains soldats" oil the second floor, and cows, pigs and donkeys on the 
tirst floor. 

For the next six weeks we led a dull, uninteresting and purposeless exist- 
ence here. The inspections of every possible kind, and the reviews by General 
Pershing, General Alexander and General Glassford failed to stimulate our 
imagination and interest to any great extent. We spent the mornings in 
some form of work, such as gas-mask drill and wig-wag and semaphore drill, 
the relation of which to our return to civil life and duties we failed to see. 
In the afternoons, we engaged in athletics on an excellent athletic field, adjoin 
ing the billets, and this we really enjoyed, when the weather was clear, which 
was very rarely. 

In the evenings, we either walked to the Y. M. C. A. in the nearby vil- 
lage, where Newberry always had some excellent rumors in the way of "morale 
builders" to hand out, or we gathered in the billets and listened to some 
stirring address by "Jim" Coffey or Henry Mann on the subject, "Get the boys 
home 'toot sweet.'" Jim, with much show of eloquence would quote Champ 
Clark, Jim Jeffries and other of his favorite statesmen, while Henry, together 
with "Willie" Farrell, Joe Hodel and other such Bolsheviki helped him along. 
When the weather permitted "Speech" McDonough would take his place on 
the small platform at the head of the stairway leading into the billets and 
overlooking the muddy courtyard below, and would commence to harangue 
the angry mob below, with much gesture and expression. When the mob was 
held spellbound by his oratory, Yvonne, the buxom milkmaid of the chateau, 
usually appeared with her herd of cows, who immediately began to "boo!" 
".Mac's" speech. This was the the signal for "boo's" on the part of every- 
body, and Mac had to retire. 



A new schedule of calls had arrived, and we were now getting up as late 
as 7 A. M. Wagner, Farren and Smith had been "practising" with the bugle 
for a long time, as we well knew, and now they were requisitioned into service 
as full-fledged buglers. They had their own way of blowing calls, however, 
and it would have taken a telepathist to discover what call was being blown 
at a particular time. The sound of the first note of the bugle was the signal 
for innumerable cat-calls and hoots from every corner of the billets, forming 
a medley that could have rivalled the sounds of a menagerie. 

On March 17, St. Patrick's day, we gathered in the grounds surrounding 
the chateau, dressed in our best, and had our pictures taken. A diminutive 
photographer from La Suze took charge of the ceremonies, and his wife assisted 
him. With much "kidding" from the other platoons, each platoou was taken 
separately. The drivers, cannoneers and special details were also taken sep- 
arately. The result was the "fine body of men'' pictured in the photographs 
in this volume. 

On March 21st, after one of the many field inspections we had been having, 
in which we had to lay out every article of our equipment, we emptied our 
bed-sacks, rolled our packs, picked up the rifles which had now beeu issued to 
us, and hiked to La Suze, where we were billeted in the barracks at the Holding 
Camp. We had been scheduled to sail from Prance in the early part of 
April, and we thought that this was simply a move to the railhead to be ready 
to entrain. The news, however, soon spread that our moving had again been 
postponed, this time until April 28th. This had a very discouraging and 
depressing effect on the men, and their morale was lower than it ever had been. 
To make matters worse, there were plenty of details handed out daily, for 
work in La Suze, which the men did not take very kindly to. 

They drowned their troubles, however, every night at the gin-mill where 
Georgette and Martha were the presiding goddesses. Here, "dez woofs" were 
fried in large numbers, and wine, beer and every other beverage, excepting 
water, were poured out in large quantities. The M. P.'s closed the place at 
8:30 P. M., and they had a hard time getting everybody out. Weissberger, 
who was partaking freely, was among the most noisy and obdurate, with the 
result that he landed iu the guardhouse, and it took all the influence of Ser- 
geant French to get him out. 

At about this time, "Hank" Miller and "Red" Harknett left on furlough, 
to retrace their steps over the front and bring back photographs for the volume. 
After a wild time in Paris, they reached Fer-en-Tardenois and ventured forth 
with a few loaves of bread and a couple of "huuks" of bologna. They fell in 
with some grave-diggers who were the fortunate possessors of many bottles of 
champagne, and "Hank" and "Red" bearing in mind that July 1st was ap- 
proaching, imbibed. The result was that they were put to bed, entirely 
oblivious of their mission. They sobered up, however, in time to bring back 
an excellent collection of photographs, some of which are published in this 
volume. 

In the early part of April we started making preparations for moving. 
Equipment was being daily called in and inspections were being held very 
often. We "got the needle" again, were examined for "cooties," had a ther- 
mometer stuck in our mouths and were then declared physically and morally 



[95? 




lii full packs a! Hirst. 



At Cum ii Pontenesen, Brest— 
"Old lathi" Julian in foreground. 



tit for embarkation and return to urn- families. The bright spot in our stay 
here was t lit* production of t lit* regimental show, "Oh, <>h. Mademoiselle," in 
which Grandin, Pons and Farren starred. 

Early in the morning of April 17, the bugle blew, calling us to our final 
train trip in France. We got on the trains nearby and left La Suze at 6:30. 
This time we were quartered in large American box cars, fifty-six to a car. 
Conditions were much more comfortable than on our last trip, and this, 
together with the fact that we were definitely heading Tor home, raised our 
spirits to the highest point. Mess was served to each car from a Q. M. C. 
kitchen-car, and was much better "chow" than we had received on any of our 
previous train rides. 

We arrived at Brest very early next morning. The sight of the harbor 

under the full moon, with the many boats anchored there, was certainly a wel- 
come one. After getting some mess at a very sanitary and efficiently handled 
mess-hall, we again hiked slowly up the same hill, which almost a year ago 
we had climbed when first setting foot on France. The signs on the "gin- 
mills'* had been changed from "Commerce de Yin" to "Modern Bar," one of 
the many indications of Americanization which were visible everywhere. It 
was enjoyable to look over the sights, feeling that it was the last lap in our 
adventures where a year ago it had been the first. 

The camp had been organized on a gigantic scale, and accommodations 
were found for us without any difficulty. We were assigned to comfortable 
squad-tents, six men to a tent. Two extra blankets were issued to every man and 

w 1 was provided for the stoves in the tents. The next two days were spent 

in every imaginable kind of inspection. We were again thoroughly de-loused 
and received new clothing where it was needed. Our French money was ex- 
changed for American. There was continual activity, and we were kept on the 
jump every minute of the time. 

On Sunday, April 20, after we had gathered for a regimental religious 
service, word arrived that we were to immediately leave for our ship. This 
announcement caused the greatest joy, and with laughter and cheers we went 
about policing the area and rolling our packs with a vim. After a very hot 
hike through Brest, we arrived at a pier where the Red Cross served us with 



[03] 




Stopping enroute — "Five minutes rest.' 



coffee and buns. We then hiked to a near-by wharf, where, with much expedi- 
tion, we loaded the baggage of the entire brigade into motor cars. When this 
work was finished, we hiked to another pier and loaded the same baggage on to 
a lighter. Our names were then checked from a roster, and we left the shores 
of France by sliding down a baggage chute on our packs into the lighter. 

We slowly pulled away from shore towards the steamer "Agamemnon,'' 
which we boarded by climbing up a rope ladder. Here, again, the duty fell 
to us of unloading the baggage, from the lighter on to the steamer, and it was 
not until nine o'clock that we were finished. Though much fatigued and 
worn out we were working with spirit and eagerness. 

We were assigned to wire bunks on "A" deck, port side, and after deposit- 
ing our belongings on the bunks we went down to the mess-hall below and had 
some sausages and rice-pudding for supper. We then retired, expecting to be 
well awav from France before sunrise. 




■Prepare for Inspection" No. 9999. 



On baggage lighter at Brest, April, 1919. 



[di] 





Homeward bound — "Goodbye, France"' 

Chapter XV. 

HOMEWARD BOUND. 
April 21, 1919, to May 10. 1919. 




HEN we awoke the next morning, we were disappointed to find our- 
selves still at our moorings in the harbor. The anchors were 
not raised until 12:30. With joyful emotion we lined up on deck 
watching the receding shores of France. The weather was ideal 
and for the rest of the day we basked in the sun and relaxed. It was hard to 
helieve that we were at last actually on our way. 

The meals were very poor and were served in a filthy mess-hall. The 
German origin of the vessel probably explained why we were being served 
bologna and sausages three times a day. One organization, however, was 
fortunate enough to get ice-cream and cake one afternoon for the uniform 
arrangement of their dubbin can covers. The Troop Commander who had 
made an inspection of quarters had issued a general order with the usual 
red tape and verbiage accompanying it. promising a reward of ice cream and 
cake to the organization having the best arrangement of bunks. And, further 
showing his excellent understanding of the psychology of the men he threat- 
ened that the organization being responsible for the throwing of papers on 
deck would he deprived of their supper. The general was the youngest 
brigadier in the 1". S. Army. 

The eight days at sea were uneventful and even uninteresting. We missed 
the spontaneity of feeling which we had experienced on our trip across. We 
seemed more callous and less susceptible to new impressions. On our first 
trip, it had seemed so strange and novel to suddenly find ourselves on the 
high seas, sailing we knew not where. Since then we had been thrust into so 
many strange and unexpected situations that nothing any longer appealed 
to us with novelty. 

On the morning of April 29th, after an early breakfast, we rolled our 
packs preparatory to disembarking. We were stationed by organizations on 
the several decks with our guidons open and flowing in the breeze. When land 



was first sighted, we set up a yell and a cheer. The land became more and 
more clearly visible. River craft became more numerous as we came nearer 
and nearer to shores which were so familiar to us. And then many ferry- 
boats, marked "Mayor's Committee of Welcome" and tugs approached with 
bands playing, and men and women cheering and growing almost hysterical 
in the excitement. We were overwhelmed with emotion. The bands on the 
"Agamemnon" were all playing, and everywhere were laughter, cheers and joy- 
ful sounds. 

We docked at a pier in Hoboken, and as we got off the gangplank, friends 
were thronging around the gates shouting and cheering and looking for 
familiar faces. The Red Cross, K. of C. and Y. M. C. A. overwhelmed us 
with fruit, candy, cake, cigarettes and other dainties which had not been 
plentiful in France. There it had always been "Gimme," "Let me have" and 
"Have you got?"; here they handed us freely more than we could carry. 

After an excellent dinner, we boarded the ferryboat "Hempstead" and 
headed for Long Island City. There we received another enthusiastic recep- 
tion. The very large crowds which had gathered there were held in check by 
the police. Bands were playing and shouts of recognition, welcome and joy 
were heard everywhere. We theu marched to the trains nearby and boarded 
comfortable electric trains, which whirled us in speed and comfort to Camp 
Mills. How different from the box cars, on which but a few weeks earlier 
we had been riding! 

Upon arrival in camp, we were assigned to squad tents, where we quickly 
made ourselves comfortable. We were a happy and enthusiastic lot and life 
meant more to us now back in "God's Own Country." Telegrams, letters 
and telephone messages arrived and before long everyone was in touch with his 
friends and family. For the next few days, day and night, we were busy being 
de-loused, equipped and inspected. After the de-lousing, the New York City men 
were allowed home on pass. The discharge papers were being prepared and 
the officers were kept continuously busy on the paper work. Mayer and Gran- 
din were assisting in this task, as they had just received their belated com- 
missions. 

On Mondaj', May 5, we made up our packs and boarded trains for New 
York. When we arrived there we were quartered in the (59th Regt. Armory, 
26th Street and Lexington Avenue, awaiting the parade the next day. As soon 
as we had made up our packs for the parade, we were dismissed for the rest 
of the day. In the evening, we had a very enjoyable banquet in the Hotel 
McAlpin, thanks to our Battery Fund and Sergeant Dichich's untiring work. 
There was much music and entertainment provided and everyone had a fine 
time. 

The following morning we lined up at nine o'clock and formed on one 
of the side streets for the parade, which started at ten. The streets were 
thronged with people who were kept in check by the police. They were treat- 
ing us like spoiled children, handing us every possible kind of sweets. The 
buildings were gaily decorated and everybody was dressed in their cleanest 
and best "duds." It was an officially declared holiday and the city had turned 
out to do honor to "New York's Own." 



[96] 



We marched in four parallel columns of squads up Fifth Avenue, with 
bands playing and people cheering and yelling. Grandstands had been built, 
on the side of the streets, but these could not accommodate the large crowds 
which had turned out. At corners, the police had all they could do to keep 
back the crowds which had gathered there. After this triumphal march, we 
were dimissed for the day. The following morning, we gathered at the 
Armory, made up our packs and then entrained for Camp Upton, where dur- 
ing our stay of the next three days, the final touches were put on the demobil- 
ization work. 

On May Kith, 1919, after a night which we had spent in playing pranks 
on each other, we marched in the heavy rain to the Q. M. C. office, where after 
much delay we received our pay, our bonus and our railroad tickets. We then 
marched to the station, and as we passed through the gate and shook hands 
with Lieutenant Richard and Lieutenant Mann, we at last received our dis- 
charges. We were again free men, entitled to the rights and privileges of 
democracy which we had lost in fighting for it. Once more we were free 
agents with control over our own actions and method of life. 

On the train, we were wild with joy. We shook hands with each other 
and wished each other luck. And when we pulled into the station, we shook 
hands with the many comrades whom we would probably never see again. 
Fate had thrown us together for many months and now Fate was parting us. 
It was sad for many to leave friends who had shown their mettle as men and 
as friends on more than one occasion. We exchanged addresses and parted, 
each going his own way. What had once been Battery I), 304th Ft A., was now 
but a memory to its members, scattered through every state in the Union. 



[97] 




AN INSIGHT INTO A DRIVER'S LIFE. 

N the afternoon of September 4th, with a fourgon wagon loaded 
with rations, we left the peace and security of the Nesle Woods, 
in the Vesle sector, headed for the gun position some four kilos 
up front. The weather was fine and warm, and everything was 
exceptionally quiet, or appeared so to us who had travelled this same road 
but 10 hours before to the music of bursting shells, the whirr of the Boche 
planes, and the occasional explosion of a bomb. Arriving at the gun position 
we found everybody in great excitement and jubilation. The Boche were 
falling back, and orders had come for a general advance — our first important 
one. Runners had been sent to the echelon for the horses, telephone wires 
had been pulled in, guns taken out of position and Sergeant Dichich was 
distributing "iron rations" with a liberal hand. 

After dumping the rations we loaded up with extra G. I. cans, and other 
kitchen utensils that could not be carried on a rapid march, with which we 
started back for the echelon. By this time news of the advance had been 
received in the rear and the countryside was swarming with men and horses. 
Column after column of infantry crept along in the shelter of the woods. 
Horse-drawn limbers and motor-trucks crowded the roads. Everyone was 
hurrying forward in pursuit of the Huns. About halfway back we met Ser- 
geant French in charge of our own horses, and he without any further cere- 
mony salvaged my lead team, leaving me to make my way back alone and with 
but a single pair to draw the G. S. wagon. 

I eventually arrived, however, and found everything in even greater excite- 
ment than at the gun position. Everybody was working — an uncommon sight 
at the echelon. Sergeant Pons was endeavoring to put two sacks of grain 
where only one should be. Sergeant Von Pless was folding blankets, loading 
hay, piling up harness and issuing orders in double-quick time. Sergeant 
Munday, busily engaged in directing the policing of the picket line, found 
time to locate one or two loafers and set them to work; while Vincer, with a 
most rueful expression on his cheery countenance sat regarding a huge black 
stallion whose forelegs, bandaged to the knees, were comfortably placed in a 
huge tub of water. He was wondering, no doubt, how such an enormous 
useless bulk could be transported most easily across the long and weary 
marches to Berlin. 

My outfit was at once commandeered by Sergeant Olackner, the wagon 
backed up to the supply shack, and Propp, ably assisted by a few extra men, 
sent over a normal barrage of old shoes, overcoats, shovels, underwear, hats, 
and most anything he could lay his hands on. This conglomeration of the 
non-essentials of victorious warfare we hauled to the Supply Company dump 
and turned over to the solicitous care of Rocco Manzo, who spent many an 
easy day in profound contemplation of their beauty. 

Between these trips to the Supply Company, and when the sergeant's 
back was turned, I ate my bread and beans, struck my tent, made my pack, 
and instructed Otto Nelson, the original McNutt, in the complicated and 
difficult task of arranging and adjusting a set of No. 1 French harness to a 



[98] 




The "minim 



"hrltm in the ravine near I'n-i 



pair of No. 3 horses. The aforementioned Boob had been up to this time 
attached to the nuns, and in the emergency was now promoted to the position 
of driver. Many a half hour I spent explaining to him the nigh and the 
off side, the hocks and the dock and the other niceties of a driver's life. He 
was an apt pupil, however, and soon learned the art of disappearing when a 
call came for a team to go out at night. 

By !) o'clock everything seemed ready and a last inspection of the camp 
revealed a dozen cannoneers peacefully slumbering with their heads on their 
packs, as usual enjoying life to the full. After arousing these knights of 
war to the stern realities of the driver's nightly life, we set out, only to be 
stopped, after advancing a kilometer or so, by a message from the Captain 
ordering us to encamp until morning. 

Pulling up close to the woods we tied our horses to the wagons, and 
slept under the trees. At the first break of day we again set out, and, after 
advancing several kilometres, we went into camp to await orders from the 
tiring battery. During this wait we spent our leisure houi-s in the usual 
pastime of grooming by the numbers, from the hocks down, leading horses 
miles to water, cleaning harness and polishing up as if for a parade on Fifth 
Avenue, while the cannoneers, poor fellows, policed the picket lines and dug 
the latrines. 

The next day word came to move forward again as the enemy had taken 
up a position along the Aisne River. We started at noon and had much 
difficulty in pulling the heavily loaded wagons through the mud and ruts 
of the wooded road. Time and again we would have to double up to draw 
the wagons across some particularly bad spot. Once out of the woods, how- 
ever, the journey was easy, down the long slope and across the Yesle valley. 



strewn with the decomposed bodies of both German and American soldiers. 
We encamped on the side of the hill near Bazoches, where the echelon remained 
for several days. 

Up to this time it was customary to picket all the horses at the echelon, 
but now it was considered advisable to keep a sufficient number to pull the 
guns and ammunition within easy reach of the emplacement, thus dividing 
the battery into three parts; the gun emplacement at the front, the echelon 
at the rear, and the picket line between the two. I was directed to join the 
picket line near Perles on the following morning. 

It was located in a deep gully, and I would have passed it by had I not 
seen my old friend Brozowski coming around a clump of bushes with a couple 
of feed-bags over his shoulder. I knew at once that the horses were nearby 
and also that neither Sergeant Von Pless nor Corporal Schwab were within 
hailing distance, otherwise "George" and "Charlie" would not be about to 
partake of this additional afternoon ration. Brozowski's husky pair of 
dappled greys enjoyed many a "salvaged" feed and thus continuously gained 
weight, even at the front. They were also famous for their nasty habit of 
sitting on the breeching-strap, which caused the early evacuation of more 
than one lead pair. But Brozowski loved them with all his heart, and would 
not have parted with them for anything — no, not even in return for a 
redeemed Poland. The accommodations at this place were limited, but I was 
fortunate enough to find room on the ground floor of the rude shack which 
served as a stable, with Hawley, Allard, Russell and one or two stragglers. 
Directly above us Fuller, Gilmore and Cain were quartered on the side of the 
hill, and the other drivers occupied the opposite bank. At dusk that evening 
the old familiar litany of Sergeant Von Pless rang out: "Bradshaw, Fisher 
and O'Brien haul ammunition — also Carlsen, Bowler and Peterson, Corporal 
Schwab in charge." 

We pulled out just as a severe thunderstorm was breaking. The darkness 
was intense. The road was in a fearful condition with mud and shell-holes. 
The rain fell in torrents, while the sharp crash of thunder and the dull ominous 
roar of bursting shells rolled and reverberated through the valley bearing their 
message of danger and striking terror to the hearts of the stoutest. Occasionally 
a flare from the trenches on our right lit up the sky, causing us to halt until 
the light flickered out. We advanced about 200 yards in this manner when 
suddenly the off wheels of the wagon dropped down to the bottom of a huge 
shell-hole about six feet deep, filled almost to the top with mud and water. 
The 200 rounds of explosives with which the cart was loaded were scattered 
in all directions, some at the bottom of the hole and others in a bunch of thorn 
bushes some 20 feet away. By the time we had the wagon righted and the 
shells fished out of the mud and thorns the storm had cleared and a pale 
sickly moon shed a faint light over the rain-soaked fields. We continued on 
our journey only to meet with a really dangerous situation. 

We had reached the top of the hill, from which the gun position was located 
some 800 yards down the slope and a little to our left. As we stopped to 
rest our horses, after the long pull up the hill, a shell burst about 400 yards 
down the slope and a short distance to our right. This was followed by 
another and still another, in about half minute intervals. We all knew what 



[100] 



that meant. "Jerry" was sending over one of his sweeping bursts of fire, 
covering the whole hill from right to left and back again. If he would not 
increase his range we might be all right. We could, of course, mill back down 
the hill and be in comparative safety. But every yard gained on such a road 
counted, and the guns were sorely in need of ammunition. We therefore 
decided to remain where we were and wait for the shelling to cease. After a 
few vollies "Jerry" increased the range, so that soon the shells were bursting 
directly in front of us, and uncomfortably close. The air was tilled with gas 
and smoke. The frequent explosions sent clouds of rock and dirt in all 
directions, covering our soaking clothing with mud and causing more than 
one fervent prayer that the projectiles would not be changed to shrapnel. 

The volley soon passed, however, and we rushed pell-mell down the hill to 
the gun emplacement, arousing the cannoneers from their peaceful slumbers 
and causing much anxiety for the safety of their camouflaged huts that lined 
the roadway. Looking back we saw another gust of tire sweeping the crest 
of the hill and blowing to pieces the very spot where we had halted but a few 
minutes before. 

All that night we worked, enlarging the I*. C. and hauling the dirt far out 
into the fields. The cold East wind blew across the bleak hillside, penetrating 
our soaked clothing and freezing us to the very marrow of our bones. Just 
as the pale grey light of dawn came creeping across the battlefield we crawled 
silently back to our camp and rolled into our blankets for a few minutes of 
sleep. 

About an hour or so later we were awakened by the none too welcome call 
of "Come and get it." Tired as we were, the pangs of hunger soon overcame 
the desire for sleep, and in a very few minutes we were all devouring our 
syrup and bacon, feeling strength and youth return as each sticky mouthful 
slid home. It is life-giving stuff, this Army bacon, for we were all soon back 
at our daily monotonous job of watering, feeding and grooming. 

Thus our life went merrily on during the entire war, varied only slightly 
by the long inarches from one front to another. But even these hikes were 
tiresome enough. Although we were not disturbed by the whine of "Jerry's" 
shells we were supposed to ride for hours in true military fashion with "thumbs 
up and heels down." Most of us did not, of course, but this compelled us to 
keep always on the alert, and observe whenever an officer approached. Then 
we would take the position that best befitted the dignity and bearing of a 
true American soldier. 

On these marches from our comfortable seat in the saddle, as we looked 
down upon the poor unlucky cannoneers humping their packs, and painfully 
picking out the soft spots whereon to place their tired, swollen feet, we 
were always reminded that we were not the most unfortunate men in the 
world. This feeling became a conviction when during our frequent halts we 
would stand sedately by and watch these "dugout kings" patiently transfer 
the juicy herbs of the wayside to the ravenous mouths of our weary animals. 



[1(11 




2)icl ButiilUon 0. P. on the Vesle front. 




THE ADVENTURES OF AN OBSERVER. 

N the night of September 23rd, while dozing by the side of the great 
highroad from St. Menehold to Verdun I was brought to my senses 
by the familiar ery "On your feet ! Everybody up !" From down 
the road came the sound of horses and vehicles and then a long 
drawn out "Halt." The battery had arrived. We quickly slung our packs 
and fell in as the column moved past — greeting old friends here and there. 
There was Dan Philpot and Tommy Price and two gigantic feet protruding 
from the rear of a fourgon wagon and the rattle of a pick and shovel announced 
that old George Harknett was among those present. 

I soon learned that the firing battery was on its way back to the lines and 
the dope at this point seemed to be that we were going to take over a quiet 
sector — in the Argonne Forest — while fresh troops were to start a great 
offensive elsewhere. The comparative quiet up ahead seemed to add weight 
to this idea, and I had visions of living in a hut amongst the pines — fishing in 
some mountain stream, perhaps — and now and then climbing a convenient 
tree to observe the Germans and see that they were behaving themselves. 

About midnight, while the column was halted for a short rest, the 
Captain came up and engaged me in conversation. It occurred to me that 
he was giving me more than the usual amount of attention. "Are you ready 
to do some scouting, Corporal? To do some scouting. Corporal? Ready to 
do some scouting?" "Yes! Yes!" I assured him, having in mind, however, the 
pine tree and mountain stream kind of scouting. I thought no more of this 
conversation until the next morning, when, having snatched a few hours' sleep, 
I was summoned by the Captain. "Corporal/' he said, "we are starting a big 
offensive on this front and your job will be to go along with the advance infan- 
try to assist the regimental liaison officer. Report to Lieutenant Lunny at 
the 305th Infantry regimental headquarters at 4:00 to-day." 

Long before this, of course, I had been disillusioned as to what we were 
going to do in this sector. Plainly we were not there just to hold the lines. 



[102] 







. 






- K '•;.<■$« 


ft 

: 






1 


; 





Observation tree on Aisnt front — looking 

down toward Aisne Canal, with Chemin-des- 

Dames in background. 



The imposing array of guns of all kinds told us plainly thai something bi«>- was 
coming off and that we would be right in the middle of it. So I wiped out 
the mental picture of myself sojourning in the primeval forest and in its stead 
had a vision of myself securely planted in the top of a high tree overlooking 
the lines — seeing the whole show in comparative safety — and cheering on the 
doughboys pursuing the Germans as they tin-canned tor the Rhine. But, of 
course, the little interview with the Captain had knocked the bottom right 
out of that lovely dream, too. 

That afternoon Lieutenant Lunnv outlined my work to me. I was to have 
charge of a detail of four men — two from E Battery and two from F. and our 
job would be to effect liaison between the advance infantry alid our guns by 
means of telephone and runner. After one good night's sleep I was just 
preparing for another when the fateful message arrived. "Report at 305th 
Infantry regimental headquarters al 5:00 o'clock, ready to move." 

It was pitch dark as we started off through the forest — several infantry 
officers in the lead, followed by a motley company of infantry and machine-gun 
runners. Each man guided himself by holding on to the pack of the man 
ahead of him. The path was rough and uneven as it wound up hill and down, 
while here and there shattered trees obstructed the way. Several times on 
steep descents the human chain broke and a struggling mass would be depos- 
ited in some gully. Such mishaps were taken good-naturedly, however, as the 
spirit of adventure was in us all by now. After about an hour's travel we 
picked our way through a long support trench and finally merged into a barren 
valley, through which coursed a sickly stream. The moon was coming up by 
now ami the surrounding landscape could be plainly seen. Signs of death and 
destruction were everywhere. Through long years of war this once beautiful 
valley had been steadily reduced until now it presented the picture of a 
sandy waste peopled by stark and starving tree stalks. 

In the usual democratic manner of the infantry officer of the front lines, 
the captain in command assembled everyone about him and informed them 
as to the situation. Our own front lines were just over the brow of the hill 
which rose up ahead of us. The hill extended to the north in the form of a 
plateau — and about SO or 100 yards beyond our own front lines were the 
German forward positions. Under the brow of the hill, on our side, were 
several dugouts, caves and trenches. We were to make ourselves as comfort- 




Old French gun position used hi/ 304 F. A. 
as observation post, Aisne sector. 



able as possible for the night and be prepared to move forward at a moment's 
notice. Absolute quiet was enjoined upon us, and as we approached the top 
of the hill shadowy sentinels warned us to keep our heads down and to stay 
under cover. After several hours' strenuous work I was able to report that 
communication was established, our detail having connected up our new posi- 
tion with a line that Lieutenant Reimard's details had run out from 304th P. A. 
headquarters that afternoon. We then looked around for a place in which 
we could get a wink or two of sleep. We soon found that everything had been 
grabbed by either officers or runners. I tried to worm my way into a cave 
full of runners — nothing doing — 1 couldn't even find a place to stand up. 
Off to the right I noticed a dugout. It looked very quiet round about it, 
neither packs nor guns outside, and I figured that it might have been over- 
looked. Crawling over on hands and knees I pushed the door cautiously 
open and my hopes went up as I saw that there was plenty of vacant space 
therein. Just then a voice from the corner: "Who is there?" "An artillery- 
man, looking for a place to sleep," said I. "There are officers in here," came 
back in icy tones. Hastily withdrawing, I crawled back to my original posi- 
tion — thanking the good Lord for the darkness that hid my blush of shame 
and humiliation over the terrible blunder. I finally crawled into a hole which 
I later found to be a latrine and managed to doze off. 

A short time later I was awakened by a stir down the path. The dough 
boys were filing into the front-line trenches. With set and serious faces the;? 
trudged silently up the hill and took their places in the trenches. If there 
was any joking light-heartedness in their manner, such as we sometimes read 
about, it was not visible to me. Evidently they knew what they were up 
against. 

Now our big guns are opening up. What has been a fitful fire all evening, 
an occasional shot off to our right or left, soon develops into a steady roar. 
For the first hour or so the fire seemed to be directed to the German back 
areas, but along about half-past three it seemed to come perceptibly closer 



[104] 




Mine cratt 


r in No Man's La 


figure mi 


far side is Earl 
feet deep 



and soon thereafter the shells tame zipping down near the German front 
lines, seeming to scale our heads by a very narrow margin. So close they 
came, iu fact, that I began casting my eye about for a spot that would offer 
some measure of protection from our own side. 

Figuring out the chances for a "short,'* I began to run through my mind 
the dependability of some of the men on the guns. Let me see — there is Ned 
Van Buren — Van being a farmer might very well get rattled at the crucial 
moment. Then there is Old George 1'lrich. I never thought much of Ul's 
control and I hoped to Heaven that he would have more success at placing his 
shots than he had in locating the plate. Then a cold shiver ran down my 
back and perspiration stood out all over me. Shades of Heaven! Joachim 
Simas is on the guns. Then I remembered all the stalwarts on the guns — 
Barney Lowell, Walter Kotrba, doe Lambe and many others — and I began 
to gain confidence. 

At the first sign of dawn the barrage lengthened out perceptibly and as 
the shell-bursts moved away we knew that the doughboys were going over. 
We were all on our feet by this time prepared for anything. It was several 
hours, however, before we moved forward, and in the meantime the wounded 
and prisoners were moving to the rear in a steady stream. Several of the 
prisoners were interrogated by the infantry captain and it was curious to 
watch their demeanor. One old fellow was extremely nervous. He was very 
polite and servile and could not say enough good things about the Americans, 
the German army was in rout and the Kaiser was preparing to make his 
getaway. On the other hand another fellow was very surly anil refused to 
stand up until he had been judiciously prodded with a bayonet. 

We finally got the order to move forward and after filing 50 yards or so 
ahead to the frontline trenches, we climbed over the top and started down 
across No Man's Land. This No Man's Land was of the old 1914-1915 variety 
— simply a mass of churaed-up wreckage — shell and mine craters 20 and 30 
feet deep littered with wooden splinters ami coils and strands of rusted barbed 
wire. Working our way slowly and laboriously through the wreckage, we 
finally gained the German trenches, only to find them reduced to the same 
chaotic condition by our recent fire. The sun was burning down out of a 
cloudless sky as we picked our way along — wringing wet with sweat and 
plastered with mud and grime. 



[105] 



At one point where we halted for a breathing spell I climbed up on the 
top of a small mound from where I could observe the country on the German 
side. Scattered bands of doughboys coidd be seen roving here and there in 
the foreground — evidently still engaged in "mopping up" activities. Occasional 
German shells splashed into the sea of wreckage out in front while from the 
fringe of woods a kilometre or so ahead came the angry, hysterical rattle of the 
enemy machine guns. We made our way steadily forward under improving 
conditions until about 4 :00 in the afternoon, when we reached a deep trench 
about three kilometres beyond our position of the previous night. Here we spent 
the night, the officers and some of the runners in an excellent bomb-proof shel- 
ter — the rest of us in the trench itself. What with standing-room only, a 
drenching rainstorm, mud, cold, and heavy shell and machine-gun fire we 
spent a most miserable night and it was with a feeling of deliverance almost, 
that we watched the slow dawn of the new day. 

With the sunshine came Walter Croy and Jack Thompson — fresh from 
an observing venture with Lieutenant Stevens. They had attempted to em- 
ploy our usual tree method of observing, but in this forest jungle nothing of 
value could be accomplished. Inquiring of Croy as to the whereabouts of his 
inseparable companion, "Bennie" Freeman, I was informed that "Bennie" was 
holding discreetly to the rear and maintaining his usual prime running con- 
dition. 

After another miserable night in the trench we moved rapidly forward 
and for several days sat by and hugged close to the ground as the doughboys 
worked around and snaked out the numerous machine-gun nests. It was a 
dirty dangerous job that they had, performed under the worst possible condi- 
tions of cold and rain and mud. 

The eighth day out found us huddled in a shallow trench by the side of a 
road, which was effectively blocked by two very formidable machine-gun nests. 
Time after time platoons of doughboys disappeared into the jungle in an 
effort to clean out the guns. At each attempt a wild rattle of machine guns 
would be our warning to duck, while the bullets pinged and popped and 
snapped among us. 

That afternoon Lieutenant Lunivy informed us that our relief was on the 
way. So, exhausted from exposure and lack of sleep, it was with a feeling of 
thankfulness that we espied coming up the road the stalwart forms of Sergeant 
Page, Corporal Kominsky, Louis Fronim, and several other E Battery men, 
prepared to take over our mission. 

Familiar faces were all along the homeward trail. There was Sergeant 
French riding over to the gun position, and a little further on the gallant 
Corporal McDonough in charge of a convoy of G. S. wagons, headed for the 
rear and furnishing a most welcome lift back to the battery. 



[106] 





























<K 


[oster 








Mahnii. Robert V. 


Captain 


4(1 Wall St.. New York City. 








Richard, Auguste 


1st Lt. 


(Ill East 56th St.. Xew York City. 








Lunny, James E. 


1st I.t. 


508 16th St.. Brooklyn. X. Y. 








Maim. John W. 


2nd Lt. 


.Kill! Newark St.. Cleveland Park, Washii 
ton. I). C. 


s " 






Mayer, Joseph .1. 


2nd Lt. 


107 Lathrop St., Buffalo. X. Y. 








Grandin, Victor S. 


2nd Lt. 


0(12 West 146th St.. Xew York City. 








French, Oscar I,. 


1st Sgt. 


127 Reservoir St., Hinton, W. Ya. 








Clackner, Jehu I,. 


Supply Sg 


350 Clermont Ave.. Brooklyn, X. Y. 








Pons, Claude 


Stable Sj;t 


110 West 107th St.. Xew York City. 








Dichich, Mike 


Mess Sgt. 


252 West 39th St.. Xew York City. 








Aigeltinger, Frank W. 


Sgt, 


47.". West 142nd St.. Xew York City. 








Cross, Miles E. 


Sgt. 


Eureka. Sullivan Co.. Xew York. 








Darling, George G. 


Sgt. 


Oil West 156th St.. Xew York City. 








Harknett, George 


Sgt. 


1200 Shakespeare Ave.. Xew York City. 








Lowell, John B. 


Sgt. 


500 7th St.. Brooklyn. X. Y. 








Munday, Thomas E. 


Sgt. 


362 11th St.. Brooklyn. X. Y. 








Ostermann, Wm., Jr. 


Sgt. 


527 West 152nd St.. Xew York City. 








Ronayne, Paul J. 


Sgt. 


.".44(1 Broadway. Xew York City. 








Ruggiero, Salvatore 1'. 


Sgt. 


3636 Barnes Ave.. Xew Y'ork City. 








Von Pless, William F. 


Sgt. 


17(i Seneca St.. Buffalo. X. Y. 








Barger, Jesse W. 


Cpl. 


Mohegan Lake, X. Y. 








Barth. Jacob F. 


('1.1. 


Keating Summitt. I'a. 








Croy, Walter ('. 


('1.1. 


Glencoe, Iowa. 








Freedman. Robert 


('III. 


628 West 151st St.. Xew York City. 








Class, Joseph 


Cpl. 


170 Broadway. Xew York City. 








Jacobson, William 


Cpl. 


731 East 10th St.. Brooklyn, N. Y. 








Jonas. James E. 


Cpl. 


410 West 12!>th St.. Xew York City. 








Kotrba. Walter 


Cpl. 


420 E. 73rd St.. Xew York City. 








Lainbe, Joseph 


( pi. 


202 West 153rd St., Xew York City. 








Levins, Stephen J. 


Cpl. 


2872 Bailey Ave., Kingsbridge, X. Y. 








McDonough, Harry 


Cpl. 


420 West 144th St.. Xew York City. 








Miller. Henry L. 


Cpl. 


105 West 77th St., Xew York City. 








Murphy, Albert V. 


Cpl. 


loo Morningside Ave., Xew York City. 








Nelson, Robert E. 


Cpl. 


140 Willis Ave.. Xew York City. 








Xoxon. Mitchell 


Cpl. 


S3 X T orthern Ave., Xew York City. 








Oglesby. Andrew K. 


Cpl. 


214 Leeds Ave.. Indianapolis. Ind. 








Petchle. Claude B. 


Cpl. 


52 Clarkson St.. Brooklyn. X. Y'. 








Rost, George 


Cpl. 


Bridgeport, Conn. 








Rucker, Clarence E. 


Cpl. 


Blasdell. X. Y. 








Schapiro, Harry 


Cpl. 


570 West 161st St.. Xew York City. 








Schlosser. Frederick R. 


Cpl. 


110 Wildwood Ave.. Buffalo. X. Y. 








Schwab. Philip 


Cpl. 


Holland Ave.. Ebenezer, X. Y. 








Simas, Antonio .1. 


Cpl. 


50 Pearl St.. Xew York city. 








Smith. Harold ('. 


Cpl. 


Downs. Kansas. 








Smith. Thomas B. 


Cpl. 


Fork. Arkansas. 








Stuart. Clinton 1.. 


('Id. 


Blasdell, X. Y. 



















107 













Talbot, John 


Cpl. 


2137 Valentine Ave., New York City. 




Philpot, Daniel 


Ch. Mech. 


414 East 135th St., New York City. 




Price, Thomas H. 


Mech. 


104 Union Ave., Mariners Harbor, 
Staten Island, N. Y. 




Simonson, Charles 


Mech. 


1869 Pacific St., Brooklyn. N. Y. 




Nelson, Andrew 


Mech. 


389 Clinton St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 




Foster, Philip W. 


Horseshoer 


97 West 9th St., Oswego, N. Y. 




Walsh, Edward J. 


Horseshoer 


165 Jefferson Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 




Corrado, Antonio 


Saddler 


33 Crescent St., Swampscott, Mass. 




Appicella, Louis 


Cook 


1063 Park Ave., New Yoik City. 




Geyer, Charles G. 


Cook 


86 Himrod St., Brooklyn. N. Y. 




Pappas, William G. 


Cook 


265 Main St., Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 




Schwartz, Isadore 


Cook 


475 Powell St., New York City. 




Farren, John J. 


Bugler 


Amherst, Mass. 




Smith, Edward J. 


Bugler 


Scranton Ave., Valley Stream, N. Y. 




Wagner, William W. 


Bugler 


956 Tiffany St., New York City. 




Aske, Leonard A. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Prosper, Minn. 




Beglan, John L. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


117 West 96th St., New York City. 




Burdick, Donald E. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Bolivar, N. Y. 




Cleary, William M. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


53 West St., Chicopee, Mass. 




Coffey, James J. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


513 3rd Ave., New York City. 




Culliton, Austin J. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Warren, Mass. 




Farrell, William A. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


2796 8th Ave., New York City. 




Fisher, Mike J. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


140 Exchange St., Chicopee, Mass. 




Freeman, Benjamin 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


20 Rutgers Place, New York City. 




Goodman, Frank 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


522 West 3rd St., Bloomington, Ind. 




Graves, Victor H. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


463 West 2nd St., Elmira. N. Y. 




Guida, Anthony 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


313 East 48th St., New York City. 




Hecht, Theodore 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


560 West 149th St., New York City. 




Heller, Joseph A., Jr. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


219 East 114th St.. New York City. 




Hodel, Joseph, Jr. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


110 South 11th Ave., White Stone, N. Y. 




Hoffmann, William J. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Mclntire, Iowa. 




Howard, George F. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


82 Schaeffer St., Brooklyn. X. Y. 




Jackson, Lloyd B. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


New Market, Iowa. 




Johnson, Edwin G. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


8 Charles Place, Woodhaven, N. Y. 




Jones, William, Jr. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


771 Forest Ave., New York City. 




Kory, Louis 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


2125 67th St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 




Kvalheim, Rangvald 0. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Ortenville. Minn. 




Lendzun, John 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


360 3rd Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 




Lyons, Burton A. 


Pvt. 1st CI; 


638 West 151st St., New York City. 




McBride, William E. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


35 Martin St., Wellsville, N. Y. 




McFadden, Barth A. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


333 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 




Machby, Herman 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


51S West 151st St., New York City. 




Mann, Henry ■ 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


403 East S8th St., New York City. 




Moehle, Albert C. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


308 East 9th St., South Salt Lake City. Utah. 




Newman, Joseph F. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


4422 Park Ave., New York City. 




O'Brien, Osmund 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


81 York St., Jersey City. N. J. 




O'Reilly, James 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


590 Court St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 




Ostertag, Paul R. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


151 Edgecomb Ave.. New York City. 




Parrett, John R. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Bloomington, Mass. 




Parsons, John R. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


MeClusky, North Dakota. 




Pfaff, William F.. Jr. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


18 Grove St., Stapleton, S. I. 




Propp, Ellis 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


3681 Broadway, New York City. 




Roth, Chris 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Belden. Nebraska. 




Sagman, Ernest 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


1490 Brook Ave., New York City. 




Scheller, Fred 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


504 East 7th St., New York City. 




Tansey, George 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Richmondville, N. Y. 




Thompson, John G. 


Pvt. 1st CI. 


Blasdell. N. Y. 











[108] 









Ulrich, George L. I'vt 


1st CI. Gardenville, X. Y. 




Van Auken, Alfred R. I'vt 


1st CI. Decatur City. Iowa. 




Van Buren, Ned. I'vt 


1st CI. Snmmitt. X. Y. 




Vincer. Arthur F. Pvt 


1st CI. Glen Ave.. Sea Cliff. I,. I.. X. Y. 




Woods. Harlan H. I'vt 


1st CI. Unshford. X. Y. 




Zittel, Edward J. I'vt 


1st CI. R. F. D. ::. Hamburg. X. Y. 




Agnelli, Joseph Pvt 


otter River. Mass. 




Allard, Felix I'vt 


Southbridge, Mass. 




Anselmi, Galiano I'vt 


617 Lorimer St.. Brooklyn, X. Y. 




Appleby, Robert I'vt 


Mystic. Iowa. 




Bailey, Gaylord I'vt 


1208 Brookdale Ave., Chariton, Iowa. 




Bang, Walter I'vt 


Royal. Iowa. 




Barham. Lee I'vt 


Edgerton, Minn. 




Barrett, William I'vt 


220 East 57th St., Xew York City. 




Billings, Elton L. I'vt 


Friendship. X. Y. 




Blades. Guy E. I'vt 


Manassa. Colorado. 




Bowler, Patrick Pvt 


650 High St., Holyoke, Mass. 




Bradshaw, James D. Pvt 


2X Depot St.. Adams. Mass. 




Braga. Joseph F. Pvt 


140 Stewart St.. Fall River. Mass. 




Bridger, Alva E. Pvt 


Decatur City. Iowa. 




Brotz, Elmer J. I'vt 


•_'L'l Cray St.. Buffalo. X. Y. 




Brozowski. Charles Pvt 


S.\ Middle St.. Fitchl.urg. Mass. 




Cain. Harley J. Pvt 


Clearfield. Iowa. 




("arisen. Axel L. Pvt 


Xorthorne. Minn. 




Carter, William I'vt 


Chicago. 111. 




Cartwright, Earl I'vt 


Detroit. Minn. 




Caudell, Floyd I'vt 


Stanton, Ky. 




Christensen. Axel I'vt 


Ringstead. Iowa. 




Chnrella. Joseph J. I'vt 


Pattoii. Pa. 




Coleman, Rudolph I'vt 


395 Waddell St.. Leetonia, Ohio. 




Coiioway, Ephraim B. Pvt 


Yaughnsville. Ohio. 




Cooper. William S. I'vt 


Fitzwilliam. X. H. 




Coren. Hymen Pvt 


East Port. Me. 




Conrehene, Aristide I'vt 


142 Sale St.. Woonsocket. R. I. 




Crean. Peter Pvt 


446 Maple St., Holyoke. Mass. 




Cullinane, John Pvt 


Roxbury, Mass. 




Curley. Thomas V. Pvt 


100 Pine St.. Dedham, Mass. 




Curnan. Patrick Pvt 


2701 8th Ave.. Xew York City. 




Dalton, Edward W, I'vt 


7 Leonard St.. Milford. Mass. 




DePretto, Henry Pvt 


124 23rd St.. West Xew York. X. J. 




Dick. Albert C. Pvt 


720 McKinley Ave.. X. W.. Canton. Ohio. 




Donnelly, John Pvt 


412 Prospect Ave., Brooklyn, X. Y. 




Downes, Ernest J. Pvt 


1838 Mrd Ave.. Xew York City. 




Oyer, Thomas B. Pvt 


27 Lawn Ave.. Pawtucket, R. I. 




Emerson. Robert M. I'vt 


3 Clifford Ave.. Ware. Mass. 




Fitzgerald, Nicholas J. Pvt 


144 Sargent St.. Holyoke, Mass. 




Flynn, William J. I'vt 


oil So. Bridge St.. Holyoke. Mass. 




Fonst. William L. Pvt 


127 Arlington St.. X. W.. Canton. Ohio. 




Fry. Thomas H. Pvt 


Atlas. Okla. 




Fuller, Frederick C. Pvt 


Cordaville, Mass. 




Garner, George L. Pvt 


Potosi, Wis. 




(Jilmour, James Pvt 


East Grand Forks. Minn. 




Gleason, Joseph M. I'vt 


476 Main St.. Poughkeepsie, X. Y. 




Green, Fred S. Pvt 


Butler. Yt. 




Grieves, Edward I'vt 


Big Timber. Montana. 




Harbuck, Wiley E. Pvt 


Floralla, Covington. Ala. 




Hawley, Henry L. I'vt 


Pelham Road. Amherst. Mass. 




Hegerle, Joseph A. I'vt 


423 S. 10th St.. Minneapolis, Minn. 





[109] 







Hines, Clifford E. 


Pvt. 


799 14th Ave.. Detroit. Mich. 




Holmes. Albert P. 


Pvt. 


Greentown, Ohio. 




Hornung, John J. 


Pvt. 


305 West 146th St.. New York City. 




Hyde, Joe R. 


Pvt. 






Kane, Anthony M. 


Pvt. 


1916 Perryville Ave., Pittsburgh. Pa. 




Keller, Henry F. 


Pvt. 


32 Western Ave., Elmhurst, N. Y. 




Kidd, Warren H. 


Pvt. 


Columbus Grove. Putnam Co., Ohio. 




Lafleur, Napoleon A. 


Pvt. 


Chapin Ave.. Chicopee, Mass. 




Lebert, Euclid 


Pvt. 


139 Liberty St.. North Adams, Mass. 




Lindgren, Edwin A. 


Pvt. 


Madrid. Iowa. 




Lyon, Harold F. 


Pvt. 


215 Flower Ave., East Watertown, N. Y. 




McCarville, Joseph I'. 


Pvt. 


Cresco, Iowa. 




Malanga, Salvatore 


Pvt. 


1039 2nd Ave., New York City. 




Manzo, Roceo 


Pvt. 


47 Perry St.. New York City. 




Mara, Michael 


Pvt. 


538 Central Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 




Marion, Joseph F. 


Pvt. 


157 9th Ave., Long Island City, N. Y. 




Marsh, Charles N. 


Pvt. 


Cuba, N. Y. 




Marshall, Thomas S. 


Pvt. 


Blasdell, N. Y. 




Meyer. William A. 


Pvt. 


Moutrose, Colo. 




Migl, Willie J. 


Pvt. 


Flatonia, Fayette Co., Texas. 




Mills, John N. 


Pvt. 


Davis Port, Ky. 




Nelson, Otto L. 


Pvt. 


Baronett, Wis. 




Nestlen, William 


Pvt. 


4911 7th Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 




Nihan, Daniel J. 


Pvt. 


734 Columbia Road, Boston, Mass. 




Ott. Frederick A. 


Pvt. 


231 North Henry St., New York City. 




Panfil, John J. 


Pvt. 


Forks, Erie Co.. New York. 




Petersen. Henry C. 


Pvt. 


Angola, N. Y. 




Powers, Harold B. 


Pvt. 


Fall River, Mass. 




Princippe, Giuseppe 


Pvt. 


236 York Ave., New Brighton. S. I. 




Procopio, Francesco 


Pvt. 


40 Irving St., Winchester. Mass. 




Reynolds, Leslie C. 


Pvt. 


Springtown, Texas. 




Roddenberry, Andrew 


L. Pvt. 


Graham, Georgia. 




Russell, William E. 


Pvt. 


Hecla St., Uxbridge, Mass. 




Schwarz, Henry 


Pvt. 


32 Minerva St.. Tonowanda, N. Y. 




Slauter, Robert T. 


Pvt. 


Clearwater, Fla. 




Stueland, Joseph T. 


Pvt. 


Kanawha, Iowa. 




Sullivan, Edward A. 


Pvt. 


31 Chester St., Springfield, Mass. 




Velle, Otto P. 


Pvt. 


Grant & Thomas Aves., Baldwin. N. Y. 




Walters, Richard 


Pvt. 


1039 Walden Ave., Buffalo, N. Y.. c/o Greiner. 




Weissberger, Morris 


Pvt. 


924 Prospect Ave., New York City. 




Witteveen, Harry F. 


\1. Pvt. 


Idaho Falls, Idaho. 




Wodkins, John 


Pvt. 


Oneonta^ Ala. 




Wooten, James 


Pvt. 


Carthbert, Ga. 




Zell, Albin H. 


Pvt. 


Beardsley, Minn. 




Zwettler, George 


Pvt. 


Cleveland, Ohio. 






ROSTER OF MEN TRANSFERRED FROM 






THE 


BATTERY IN FRANCE 




Name 




Home Address 








. 294 Georgia Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. 




Antola, Francesco . 




. . . 3 Hamilton Place, New York City. 








. . . Wolf Lake, Minnesota. 








. Wells, Minn. 


Buchmiller, Joseph W 












. . . 507 N. Ash St., Crookstou, Minn. 




Carmody, William A. 















[110] 



Dawson, Norman 314 Webster St., Needham Heights, Mas 

Dilley, Arthur W Sykes, Pa. 

Frirt. Charles J 435 Fulton St.. St. Paul, Minn. 

Ghelardi, Anthony F 

Hawkins, Andrew A Raymond, Hines City, Miss. 

Hutton, Benjamin 633 Lake St.. Lancaster, Pa. 

Izmailowicz, Ignacy 27 Bristol St.. New Haven. Conn. 

Janulewicz, John Ill Lymon St.. Holyoke, Mass. 

Jewell. Joseph Wallingford, Vt. 

Keifer. James Loma, Montana. 

Kouw, John 612 West 184th St.. New York City. 

Klesmer, Irving Zeeland, Mich. 

Lanzarone, Ignatius 60 Jefferson St., Brooklyn. N. Y. 

McCahill, George B 16 St. Marks Ave.. Brooklyn. N. Y. 

Manderson, Raymond 403 West 21st St., New York City. 

Maroney, Thomas 306 11th St.. Brooklyn, N. Y. 

Monaco. Guiseppe 411 West 42nd St.. New York City. 

Peterson. Albion 200 Cambridge St.. Boston. Mass. 

Radner, George N 14 Hay Ave.. Northampton. M;.ss. 

Rubino, Donato 9 Alba St.. Fitchburg, Mass. 

Shea, Thomas <; 133 Lawrence Ave.. Brooklyn. N. Y. 

Sotio. Edward (J 550 Park Ave., New York City. 

Soraci. Frank 422 3rd Ave.. New York City. 

Taylor. Robert W 167 Irving Place. Brooklyn. N. Y. 

Thacker, Horace 59 3rd Ave., Long Island City. 

Thome. Finer 271 Wesley Ave.. Clinton, Iowa. 

Wager. Robert West Lebanon. N. Y. 

Ward, Robert S 705 Elmwood Ave.. Buffalo, N. Y. 

ROSTER OF WOUNDED MEN WHO HII> NOT RETURN To BATTERY 

Claviter, Arthur W 616 4th Ave.. International Falls. Minn 

Johnson, Olaus R. F. D. No. 2, Madelia, Minn. 

Koen, William H 254 Atlantic Ave., E. Rockaway, N. Y. 

Meehan, John 70 Montgomery St.. New York City. 



[Ill] 









TABLE OF CONTENTS 














PAGE 


I. 


Dedication 


and Honor Roll 




6-11 


II. 


Foreword 






Capt. Robt. V. Mahon 


12 


III. 


The Story 


of 


Battery D 








Chapter 


1. 


Camp Upton 


Corp. Henry L. Miller 


13-20 




Chapter 


2_ 


The Trip Across and 












Early Days in France 


Corp. Joseph Glass . 


21-26 




Chapter 


3. 


Training Period at Camp 
de Souge . 




27-31 




Chapter 


4. 


At the Front— The Bac- 
carat Sector 




32-35 




Chapter 


5. 


Vaxainville to the Nesle 
Woods 




36-40 




Chapter 


C. 


The Vesle Sector . 




41-47 




Chapter 


7. 


Advancing to the Aisne 
River 




48-54 




Chapter 


8. 


Going into the Argonne 
Forest 




55-58 




Chapter 


9. 


The Argonne 




59-67 




Chapter 


10. 


In Reserve 




68-70 




Chapter 


11. 


Argonne — Meuse . 




71-77 




Chapter 


12. 


Our Last Front 




78-82 




Chapter 


13. 


Lignerolles 




83-89 




Chapter 


14. 


The Le Mans Area and 
Brest 




90-94 




Chapter 


15. 


Homeward Bound 




95-97 


IV. 


An Insight 


Into a Driver's Life . 


Pvt. Osmund O'Brien 


98-101 


V. 


The Adventures of an Observer 


Corp. Henry L. Miller 


102-106 


VI. 


Roster of Battery I) . 




107-111 



[112] 



H 



H 
.•'*/<« 






